The Return of a Beast
by CollieandShire
Summary: Sequel to my other Brave story, The Adversary's Daughter. A new threat to the Scottish people has arisen, a beast like no one has ever seen before. It kills anything and everything that gets in its way, and will stop at nothing until it finishes what it came for. Rated T because my wild animal can be pretty violent.
1. A Beast

_Hello everyone!  
_

_Well, this is my second Brave fanfiction story, and I'm pleased to be updating so soon! First off, I want to dedicate this story to T.E.M. for being my friend, my sister and my constant encouragement. May we have more fun adventures!  
_

_To Rylee, the horse I'm training. You're an awesome horse, boy, and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to work with such an amazing animal!  
_

_To my entire family, Mom, Dad, M, A, S, M, A, N, A, and R for being always there for me and for supporting my stories!  
_

_And to N.D.M, my good friend and colleague. Thanks for always encouraging me in my writings!  
_

_So, a little side-note to those who have not read my first Brave story. This will probably make no sense to you unless you read my first story, _The Adversary's Daughter. _Otherwise it really will make no sense to you at all. So if you want to read this story, I suggest reading my first one so this one will make more sense. _

_So, enjoy this story, please review and I look forward to hearing from my readers!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter one_

A Beast

He stared down at his hands in disgust, no longer the hands of a person but the paws of an animal, and he let out a roar. This was _not _what he'd asked for. He had only wanted the strength of ten men, but not in the form of-of-_this_!

_That witch tricked me! _His thoughts screamed. _She tricked me! _But yet, at the same time, she'd given him what he'd wanted. Not only had he been given great strength, but great size in the form of the beast he was now. He glanced down at his paws again. He had seen many of his kind before, but none with paws the size of his. They were half the size of a full grown man, with razor sharp claws. One swipe with one of his paws could kill someone.

He looked up, and roared again. The witch had told him something right before he left with the spell- _your spell will be permanent by the fifth sunrise. To change it, you must remember these words. _The witch had paused, and said in a ghost-like voice, _to change your fate, you must first change yourself. You are who you chose to be. _

He had rolled his eyes and left, thinking the witch was a bit on the odd side. _Of course she is, she's a witch! What's normal about that? _He thought. He had stared down at the caviar in his hand, and had barely walked half a mile before he decided he'd change now. _That way, when I arrive at the castle, I can strike such terror in her heart it will be the perfect revenge. _He thought with a grin. And thus he ate the caviar.

What happened next was a blur-he slightly remembered feeling sick and doubling over, moaning and groaning. Then suddenly he felt quite better. A little dizzy, but no longer nauseated. He had stood up, and tumbled over. Thinking the dizziness was causing this; he tried again, and once more fell over.

_What's the matter with me? _He thought, getting on his hands and knees, breathing heavily. He definitely could feel his great strength, and was pleased. He had looked down, and was horrified to see his cloak was in shreds, and his sword lying on the ground. He was larger than he thought! He reached over to pick up the sword, and yelled in horror at the sight of his hand, leaping back in a panic. It was then that he realized he was no longer a man-but the beast he had long admired, the animal his family had chosen as its symbol. He had become an animal, a monster, a beast of great strength.

Now he stood there on all fours, no longer trying to stand up, knowing it was useless. He glanced at his back, and a slight grin broke across his face. White as snow, with black stripes. At least he was not the typical red color that so commonly coated his type. He blended in pretty nicely with the foot deep snow too, which made it easy to ambush any prey.

Prey. He sniffed the air, and growled. He smelled something. It wasn't an animal either, but the smell of a human. How he could differentiate between the two, he had no idea. But he knew without a doubt that man was in the snow covered forest.

He went into stalk mode, and slinked behind a tree. Here came a brown haired man with a mustache, a sword strapped to his waist and a bow slung over his shoulder. He was whistling in a carefree way, and it was obvious he was Scottish, for he was wearing a kilt.

_Stupid Scottish, why on earth do they were such despicable clothing? _He snarled.

The man stopped, hearing the odd noise, and he glanced around nervously. "Oye, Matthew, did ye hear something?" the man said, turning around. Here came another man, this one a classic redhead.

"I didn't hear anything." he replied with a shrug. "Are ye sure you aren't hearing things again Ethan?"

Ethan shook his head. "I know I heard something. It came from that direction." Ethan pointed towards where he was hiding, and he snarled again. Time to act.

* * *

With a bellow like the men had never heard before, a giant white animal with black stripes leapt at them, hissing and spitting.

"Oye! What is _that_!" Ethan screamed, turning around and running. The animal couldn't resist a chase, and he jumped onto the Scotsman. Ethan cried out, and then yelled no more as the beast took the life out of him with one chomp of his jaw.

Matthew stared at Ethan in dismay, knowing he was dead. The animal turned towards him and shrieked in fury, than charged.

Matthew drew his sword, ready to defend himself. The beast lunged at his throat, and he threw himself out of the way. The animal landed face first in the snow, and screamed again, turning towards Matthew with such hatred in his eyes Matthew feared for his life.

Matthew stood up, pointing his sword at the monster, who hissed at him. The creature began circling, and Matthew followed his movements.

* * *

_This man doesn't want to go down without a fight. _He thought to himself. But he wasn't afraid, only angry. He had never felt such hatred before, nor had he known he was capable of it. But he didn't care. He had already tasted blood once, and now his very being lusted for it. He _had _to kill this man!

* * *

Matthew drew back in horror as the animal sailed through the air, its teeth barred and its paws outstretched.

* * *

He struck the man down easily, and roared in delight.

Another beast had returned to take the place of Mo'rdu.

* * *

_Hope you like the first chapter! Please read and review!_

_-Shire  
_


	2. Horse Decorating

_Here's the next chapter, everyone! I actually have already written the entire story, so I will be posting the chapters when I receive two reviews. So please review if you want to read more! :D Thank you!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter two_

Horse Decorating

"This isn't going to work, Ilene."

"Trust me Merida, I know what I'm doing."

"Trust _me_, Ilene, this isn't going to work."

"Oh ye of little faith."

"Oh ye of little _brain_!"

"Merida!" Ilene snapped, exasperated. "I told ye, I know what I'm doing! Don't you believe me?" the blond girl turned to her older sister, glaring at her. Merida shrugged.

"You may _think _ye know what yer doing, but I'm having a hard time believing that ye do." Merida stated bluntly, tossing her bright red hair behind her shoulder. Ilene rolled her eyes, and gestured to the large, skinny sorrel horse that she was currently braiding ribbons in his hair.

"Rylee doesn't mind at all. See, all he's doing is eating his hay."

Merida glanced at the thoroughbred stallion, who tossed his hay out of his trough and picked through the stuff he liked. He didn't seem to mind the ribbons, but Merida doubted he'd like what Ilene was going to put on him next.

"Why don't you decorate Mystery instead? You know for a fact she wouldn't mind." Merida suggested as Ilene finished braiding the ribbons in Rylee's hair. The large thoroughbred had been a gift from Lord Edward to Ilene, because Ilene had given herself up to save Lord Edward's daughter, Elizabeth. He'd given her the purebred thoroughbred to show his gratitude, and even though Ilene was a Draft Horse lover, she came to fall in love with the big red stallion. That was why she was currently attempting to decorate him with ribbons in his hair, and the next step was bells and garland. Now, most horses don't care if there were ribbons in their hair or not, but horses hate loud noises, especially when the noises come from things attached to them. Even a large draft horse got nervous at the sound of the bells around their neck and saddle, but a thoroughbred? Well, Merida figured he'd be in England before Ilene had finished tying the first bell into his mane.

"Well, his ribbons are done, so, onto the garland." Ilene announced.

"Aren't ye going to try his bells on first?" Merida teased, knowing that Ilene was purposefully putting that off until last minute.

"Ye can be such a trouble maker, Merida."

Merida laughed, and shook her head. Ilene carefully laid the garland on Rylee's neck, and he shot his head up, glancing at her as if to say _why are you nervous? Is it because this thing on my neck is scary? It's scary, isn't it! Wait, if it's scary than it's going to eat me! _

"It's okay Rylee boy." Ilene soothed as she tied the garland around the big thoroughbred's neck. He snorted, and tossed his head, his eyes growing wide as he glanced at the garland again. "Good laddie. Good boy."

Ilene stepped back from the sorrel, who stood rigid for about thirty seconds, then snorted and put his head down to eat again.

"See, he's fine!" Ilene said triumphantly. "And ye thought he'd be spooked."

"Ah, but ye haven't put on the bells yet, Ilene." Merida reminded her. Ilene made a face, pursing her lips doubtfully.

"Perhaps I'll do that some other time. He's been so good, I'd hate to scare him now."

"More like ye don't want me to be right." Merida jeered.

"Nonsense. I-I- oh never mind. I'll put on his bells now." Ilene huffed, picking up a string that she'd tied five bells to. Rylee lifted his head up and pricked his ears forward, wondering what that strange noise was. Ilene walked timidly up to him, and let him sniff the bells. He didn't seem to mind it, and she swiftly started to tie them into his mane.

Rylee put his head down to eat once more, and the bells rang. His eyes widened, and he froze. That was not a good sign.

"Maybe ye should take him out of the stall so if he gets nervous he won't break-" Merida began, when suddenly Rylee squealed and reared, and Ilene fell to the ground. "Oye! Ilene, get out of the stall!" Merida screamed, leaping over the walls of the enclosure. Ilene followed suit and threw herself over the side of the stall.

Rylee screamed and reared, kicked and bucked as the bells continued to jingle. But the more he created a ruckus, the more the bells sang out their merry tune.

Rylee kicked the stall door _hard_, and with a _thunk!_ the latch broke and the door fell over. Rylee saw this as an opportunity to escape the monster in his mane, and raced out of the stall, bucking and kicking as he galloped off. Ilene and Merida stared after him as he disappeared into the forest.

Merida turned to Ilene. "Told yah."

* * *

Fergus snickered, trying to keep a straight face. "So let me get this straight." He said, doing his best to force back the bellows of laughter he so wanted to let loose. "Ye wanted to dress up that Thoroughbred of yers with garland, ribbon and bells, and he spooked at the bells, tore down the stall door and took off in the woods?"

Ilene nodded glumly. "Aye Dad, that's what happened."

The look on his adopted daughter's face was too much, and Fergus burst into fits of laughter. "Ye were dressing up a _horse_? I can understand perhaps prettying him up, but you were dressing up yer _horse_!"

"One of my horses. I didn't dress Mystery up." Ilene corrected, obviously embarrassed.

"Aye, but she was going to do Mystery next." Merida couldn't help but add in.

"Merida!" Ilene protested.

"And ye, Merida? Ye were helping her do this?" Fergus roared with laughter, holding his sides as he gasped for breath between guffaws. "Oh, that is too rich! Oye! Ilene, ye have the most creative mind in all of Scotland! Dressing up yer horse! I've never heard of such a thing!"

"Please don't laugh Dad." Ilene begged. "I'm embarrassed enough."

Fergus smothered down his laughter, but let out a chuckle now and then. "So, ye girls want to ride out and find him?"

"Aye. I know Mum says that we need to ask either you or her before we head out into the woods at this time of year, seein' how it gets dark early." Merida said.

"Good lassies for obeyin' yer Mum." Fergus broke into a smile. "Ye can go out and find him. Be back by the time it's dark, though. We don't want any bears getting' yah."

"Thanks Dad!" Ilene and Merida said at the same time, rushing out of the castle and towards the stalls. Merida jumped onto the already saddled Angus, and Ilene jumped onto her horse, Mystery. They asked them into a canter, and the horses plunged through the snow, sending the powder flying as they left the castle and went over the bridge, then ran out into the forest.

There was nothing better than riding on horseback in fresh snow. Especially at this depth. The girl's favorite thing about snow this deep was that if they came off, they never got hurt. The snow broke their fall, and it was kind of fun to throw yourself off, knowing you wouldn't regret it.

But Ilene and Merida had a job to do today, and that was to find Rylee. There was no telling where the Thoroughbred had gotten to, and they were worried he might hurt himself.

"He's not a Scotts horse, and therefore he has no idea the dangers that lie within these woods." Ilene said to Merida, her tone of voice showing her concern.

"I'm sure he's fine, Ilene. Don't worry." Merida assured her sister as they continued to canter on their draft horses. Mystery tossed her head, snorting as snow flew up into her nostrils.

"Well ye silly horse, if ye didn't run with yer nose on the ground that wouldn't happen!" Ilene laughed. The Shire mare snorted again, and broke into a trot. "No lass, we need to keep on moving." Ilene said firmly, asking Mystery back into a canter.

Angus wanted to trot too, and Merida cued the Clydesdale on. "No need to stop, Angus." She told the stallion.

It took half an hour before the girls found the hoof prints of the escaped horse. "It can't be any other horse than Rylee, for his feet are so much smaller than regular horses." Ilene pointed out, gesturing towards the prints as she reined Mystery in.

"Aye, that's him." Merida agreed. She leapt off Angus and studied the tracks. "Looks like he was headin' back to the castle."

Merida mounted back up, and Ilene and her continued on, following the prints. They kept their horses in a walk, not wanting to miss any details.

"Look, there are the bells!" Ilene called out. Sure enough, there was the strand of bells, lying on the ground.

"Looks like Rylee finally got them off." Merida giggled. "I'm sure he about collapsed out of exhaustion."

Ilene glared at her. "Ye were right, ye were right. Are ye happy?"

"I want to hear ye say I was right again." Merida teased. Ilene rolled her eyes.

It was then that they heard a whinny. "Oye! That sounds like Rylee!" Ilene exclaimed.

The girls kicked their horses into a canter, guiding them through the trees as they headed in the direction of the sound. The Clydesdale and the Shire bobbed their heads in sync as they frisked along, eager to stretch their legs some more.

"There he is!" Merida shouted. And there stood Rylee, his ears erect and his head held up high. All of his ribbons were out of his hair, and his body was covered with sweat.

"Rylee!" Ilene exclaimed happily, stopping Mystery and jumping off, running towards the red stallion. "Oh poor Rylee, yer drenched in sweat. I'm so sorry lad, I won't ever put bells in yer hair again."

"Yah, until next year when it snows again." Merida interjected. Ilene ignored her as she petted the Thoroughbred on the nose.

"What a good boy Rylee." She cooed. "Yer me good laddie, ye are. Come on, let's go home."

Ilene turned around and went back to Mystery, pulling an extra halter she'd brought along off the saddle. She approached Rylee and let him sniff it, then slipped it on. "There we go!" she announced. "Ye ready Merida?"

Merida nodded, walking towards Angus and grabbing his reins to mount. Ilene lead Rylee towards Mystery, and she mounted up on the large Shire mare. It was then that she noticed that Merida wasn't on her horse yet.

"What is it Merida?" Ilene asked.

Merida was staring at the ground, her lips pressed together and her brow furrowed deeply. _This can't be right. _She thought.

Ilene trotted Mystery over, tugging Rylee along. She whoaed Mystery, and glanced down at what Merida was looking at.

"Oye!" Ilene gasped. "That isn't real, is it?"

Merida put her arms out to measure the print. Half the size of a full grown man. She gazed up at Ilene, and then returned her gaze to the giant paw print. "I don't think so." She said finally. "I think someone's playin' jokes."

"I bet it was Hamish, Hubert and Harris." Ilene said with a sigh of relief, referring to their younger brothers. "Ye know how they like to scare us."

"Aye." Merida snorted. "Remember the time-"

"_Don't _remind me." Ilene groaned. "That was terrible!"

Merida giggled, and mounted up on Angus. "I wonder how the boys were able to pull this one off." She gestured to the enormous paw prints which someone had attempted to make look like a bear's prints. But the prints were too round to be bear prints, proving they were fake. "This would have taken _a lot _of time to make. Plus I don't see any evidence of them anywhere."

"Who knows. The little tikes can do anythin' they set their minds to." Ilene retorted. "Come on, let's get agoin' home. I'm starvin'!"

With that, the redhead and the blond cued their horses into a canter, Ilene leading Rylee beside Mystery. But Merida couldn't get the prints out of her head. They had almost seemed real, but they couldn't be. No bear made prints like _that_, and the only bear big enough to make prints like that was Mor'du, and he was dead. _It's nothing to be worried about, Merida. _She chided herself. She shook the thoughts out of her head and instead concentrated on the ride ahead with Ilene.

* * *

_Boy howdy, it's a good thing the boys were the ones who made those paw prints. Or were they? Please review and thanks for reading!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_


	3. News

_Well here's the next chapter everyone! Thank you Nie and Sha28 for the reviews! Means a lot to me! :D  
_

_So here's the next chapter, enjoy and please review! Thank you!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter Three_

News

"Good morning girls." Elinor greeted the next morning as the two girls stumbled down the stairs, their eyes drooped.

"Mornin'." Merida muttered, scooting into her chair.

"Good morning Mum." Ilene yawned, sitting down.

Elinor glanced from each of her daughters, noting their sleepy expressions. "My, ye two look tired. What were ye doin' last night?" The Queen asked, spooning a spoonful of porridge and eating it. The triplets sat across from the girls, and all of them were slurping from their bowls.

"We talked." Merida answered. "A lot."

"And late." Ilene added sheepishly. "I don't think we got to bed until three."

"That late!" Elinor exclaimed. "What were ye talking about?"

"Life." Ilene stated as she helped herself to some porridge. "Hamish, please pass the milk."

Hamish silently passed Ilene the milk, but before Ilene could reach it Merida grabbed it and poured herself a glass.

"Hey!" Ilene snatched the milk from Merida. "I asked for it first!"

Merida grabbed it back. "I got it first." She argued.

"That's not fair! I got it-oh, never mind." Ilene slumped in her chair and gave Merida the death look, to which Merida shrugged and sipped her milk.

"So, did you discuss the evils of arguing while ye talked about life?" Elinor said with a hint of a smile, glancing at both of her girls. They looked down guiltily.

"Yes, actually, we did." Ilene said at last. "We talked about tradition, rivalry, arguing over pointless things, cultures, racism, family lines…feuds. It was a long conversation."

"We basically came down to the fact that feuds are pointless, tradition weights ye down and racism is just another way to proclaim yerself better than someone else." Merida inserted. "It really is pointless."

Elinor nodded. "Sounds like you girls came to some good conclusions."

Merida turned to the triplets, who were staring up at the ceiling, no doubt thinking up their next mischief. "Hamish, Harris, Hubert, were ye in the woods yesterday?"

The boys turned their gaze to Merida, and gave her a blank stare.

"I'm serious, were ye in the woods yesterday? We found some tracks, humongous tracks, that we figured ye three had made because no bear could have made them. They were far too round, and there were no claw marks either."

"That's definitely no bear." Fergus agreed. "A bear has more of an oval shape, and their claws are very distinct. So what of it boys? Did ye make the tracks?"

The boys shook their heads no.

"Really?" Ilene said, raising her eyebrow. "Are ye _sure_?"

They shook their heads no once more.

"If that wasn't a bear that made those tracks, and it wasn't the boys, then, what was it?" Merida put forth, and no one answered as they pondered the question.

It was in this state of silence that one of the royal guards found them in. "Yer majesties!" he shouted as he ran in, panting. "Yer majesties!"

"Mark! What is it me good soldier?" Fergus exclaimed, standing up.

"There is a man outside that ye need to see right away. Shall I show him in?" Mark blurted out.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"He's a sight, yer majesty. Seems he met up with a wild animal that nearly killed him. He demands that he sees you right away, he thinks you need to know about this new threat."

Fergus nodded. "Show him in, then. Funny, we were just talking about tracks me girls found in the woods, belonging to an animal they've never tracked before."

"And those tracks weren't yer ordinary animal tracks." Ilene murmured as Mark went out to go fetch the visitor. "They were half the size of a full grown man. One swipe with those paws…" her voice trailed off, and she locked gazes with Merida.

"The only animal I've ever seen who left tracks like that was Mor'du." Merida told her, shivering.

"You don't think-" Elinor began, but Mark reentered the dining room, followed by two guards helping along a man. And what a sight he was.

His shirt was torn and you could see where his shoulder had been mauled. Blood stains spattered his cloths until it looked like it was a pattern of some sort. The right side of his face was so caked with blood and dirt you couldn't even see his eye, and his left hand was limp, teeth marks going straight through it.

Merida, the triplets and Ilene gasped in horror, and Elinor covered her mouth in shock. Fergus stared at the man, his eyes as wide as the sun as he took in what was before him.

"Children!" Elinor suddenly said, "Go up to yer rooms _now_."

The DunBroch children got up slowly, wanting to turn their eyes from the sight before them but failing to do so. They climbed the stairs quietly, the boys heading to their rooms and the girls heading to theirs.

Even as they made their way to the bedrooms, they could hear the conversation below.

"Good heavens! What happened to you? Are you alright? Mark, Ian, Scot! Help this man into the guest room! He's in no condition to speak." Fergus's commanding voice carried through the castle.

"Please, yer majesty." Came the faint voice of the stranger. "I must tell ye what I saw."

Merida and Ilene slipped into their room and shut the door. Merida headed straight to their weapon holder and pulled out her sword.

"Shall we spar?" she asked Ilene. Ilene nodded her head, and drew her sword.

As they often did when they were sent up to their room while their parents discussed important matters, the girls began a fencing match. Ilene began the match, and did a low swipe, to which Merida blocked and did a jab. Ilene jumped back, embedded her sword in the floor and used it to propel herself over Merida and behind her. Merida whirled to face Ilene, blocking an upper hand blow and attempting to do a middle swipe. Ilene retaliated, catching the blade with her own and shoving it back. She did a half turn, spun the sword over her head and locked her sword with Merida's. Merida took this as an opportunity to throw herself forward and trip Ilene off her feet. But Ilene was waiting for that and jumped back, caught Merida's sword with hers, twisted the blade around and threw Merida's sword out of her hand, catching it with her right hand.

"Got yah." Ilene said with a grin, holding both swords.

"Ye always get me with that move." Merida complained, taking her sword from Ilene and putting it back.

"Good match though." Ilene commented as she too, put her sword away.

"Yer just sayin' that because ye won."

Ilene's grin grew wider, revealing that this was indeed the truth. "Who doesn't like winning?"

Merida rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "When Mum says we can come back out ye and I are gonna have an archery match. _Then _we'll see who wins."

Ilene shrugged, and sat down on her bed. "Merida, do ye suppose that we may have another Mor'du on our hands?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Merida sat down next to Ilene, glancing at her sister. "Just because that man was attacked by a wild animal doesn't mean there's another monster roaming the forest."

"Aye, I know, but perhaps the paw prints we saw were real, and that's the animal the man was attacked by." Ilene suggested.

"Those paw prints didn't belong to a bear. I don't know what they belonged to, but they didn't belong to a bear." Merida said decisively.

"But what animal could possibly make such large prints!" Ilene exclaimed, exasperated. "No animal I've ever seen made prints that big, except for Mor'du. And Mor'du wasn't always a bear, he was once a prince."

"So yer sayin'," Merida said slowly, "That perhaps, those prints were real, and if they were real, it's because-"

"It would be because another person went to the witch for a spell." Ilene stated bluntly. "It would be because someone wanted to change their fate, or wanted something of the sort, and got a spell from the witch. We know that it's wrong to mess with magic, and the price is ye become an animal until ye make wrongs right. I'm sayin' that if what we saw was real, not a joke that some person was playing, that this isn't an ordinary animal. It's a person turned into a beast, a monster, because they got a spell. And whoever it is will need help to change back into a person."

"So are ye suggestin' we go out and find this animal?" Merida gaped at Ilene, her shock apparent. "We don't even know if it is _real_! We don't know what it is, we don't know if someone was playing a joke, and we most certainly don't know if someone went to the witch and got a spell!"

"I'm not suggesting we go roam the forest in hopes of coming across some strange animal. I'm suggesting we find out what happened to the man downstairs, and if it was a regular bear attack, then we'll leave it alone. But ye and I both know that when he came in he proclaimed that there was a new threat in the woods. It could just be some man eating bear, but it may be something else. All I'm saying is we need to keep our minds open to these possibilities."

Merida shook her head, trying to get the terrible image of what the man had looked like, with his blood spattered cloths, mauled shoulder and torn face and hand. How horrible to think that an animal had done that to him, an animal who could be like another Mor'du. _Calm yerself, Merida. There shall never be another bear like Mor'du. Nothing shall ever come close_. She turned to Ilene. "Ye know? I really, _really _hope yer wrong about this." Merida said with a sigh. Then she glared at Ilene. "Besides, where do ye get off telling me what to do?"

Ilene couldn't help but smile. "We both know bossiness is me strong point."

Merida and Ilene laughed.

* * *

_So what kind of animal is this beast, if it is real? Is it a bear? But no, it's paw prints were too round to be a bear. What could it possibly be? Hmm...guess you'll have to review and find out! Thanks for reading, and please review!_

_-Shire  
_


	4. Ride to the Witch's Cottage

_Well, here's the fourth chapter everyone! Thanks to Synchronized Harmony and Sha28 for the reviews! I really, really appreciate it. :D You are amazing!_

_So here's the fourth chapter, I will update when I receive two reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chapter and will read and review! Thank you!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter Four_

Ride to the Witch's Cottage

About an hour later, there was a knock on the girl's door. At the moment, they were in the middle of a game of chess, one which Ilene was losing terribly at as Merida once more slid her knight next to Ilene's king.

"Come in!" Merida called, and then she turned to Ilene. "Check." She said with a grin.

"I hate this game." Ilene growled as she stared at her king, who didn't look like he was going to escape the situation.

"That's because yer losing." Merida sneered.

"That is _not _why I hate this game."

"Sure it isn't. It's only ninety percent of the reason why."

"Merida!" Ilene groaned.

The door opened before Ilene could send back a nasty retort, and there stood their mother. She glanced at the girls, who looked at her a little guiltily. "Playing nice, I hope?" She asked.

"Uhhh…." They stammered.

"Never mind, don't answer that." Elinor shut the door behind her, and made her way to the table where the girls were playing. "Ilene, if ye move yer king to the right, her knight won't be able to follow you there."

"Mum!" Merida protested as Ilene quickly took Elinor's suggestion and slid her king.

"Ha!" Ilene said triumphantly.

"That doesn't count!"

"Yes it does. Mum knows yer smarter than me, so she was just helping me out."

Merida glared at Ilene, who gave her a smug grin.

"My initial purpose was not to cause dissension," Elinor said, seating herself in an extra chair, "But it seems to have lead to that. Sorry, Merida."

"It's alright Mum." Merida assured her. "I understand."

"Yes, Mum, it's okay." Ilene said, smirking as Merida shot her a warning look.

"Ilene, yer being a trouble maker." Elinor scolded.

"Sorry Mum."

Elinor nodded, and smoothed her dress. "I came here to discuss something with ye. It's rather important, that's why I wanted ye to finish up yer game."

Instantly Merida removed the chessboard off the table and into the box where it belonged. "We're listening." She said, folding her hands and watching her mother intently.

"Aww, I was about to win." Ilene teased, much to Merida's annoyance.

"Ye don't know when to stop, do yah?" Merida mumbled.

"I really want yer full attention on this." Elinor sighed.

"I'm listening Mum, I was just playing around." Ilene said quickly. "Sorry."

Elinor looked from Merida, her own daughter, to Ilene, her adopted daughter. Both of them had matured so much. Merida was fifteen, and with Ilene's newly discovered past they had found out she was about thirteen. She loved them both equally, and cared for them as a mother hen cared for a chicks. How they were growing. Soon Ilene would be old enough for marriage, if she chose to marry. Merida already was but had not yet chosen a husband, for she was still waiting for the one she would love till her death. They were smart, loving, adventurous, mischievous, caring and just. Ilene leaned more on the quiet side, and Merida more on the feisty side. Put both of them together and they were the perfect combination, each of their talents and weaknesses balancing the other girl's talents and weaknesses.

And that knowledge was what she was relying on as she told them the latest bit of news. She knew Merida would be angry, and Ilene would be scared, and she hoped that between the two of them they could help each other out, and that she could be a comfort for both. It was scary, she didn't deny that, but she knew they could overcome it with each other.

"Girls," she began slowly, looking down, "The man downstairs told us something that I feel I need to share with ye. Both of ye spend a lot of time in the woods, and so I tell ye this for yer safety." She looked up at the girls, who were listening intently. "It seems that our visitor, who goes by the name of Jeremiah, came across two dead men in the forest. We've sent some soldiers out to identify them, but he doubts we'll be able to. They-well, let's just say that they were torn up past recognition."

The girls shuddered, and Elinor paused, thinking how to word this next part. "Jeremiah found them not far from where ye girls said ye found Rylee. And he found the same tracks ye did. He followed the tracks in an attempt to understand what kind of animal could have the strength and bloodthirsty power to kill two full grown men. He came to the same conclusion ye did, that it wasn't a bear. The tracks just couldn't be a bear, they were all wrong. While he was following the tracks, he was attacked from behind by a monster of a beast, who moved as fast as lightning and had the power of a bear. The beast's paws were half the size of him, and he barely was able to escape it. He found that it's weakness was movement, and so he threw a bag of freshly killed partridges towards the creature. He was then able to run and mount his horse and take off, though the animal chased him for a good two miles before it finally gave up. Jeremiah was lucky his horse was one of the English race breeds-a draft horse wouldn't have stood a chance against the monster." Elinor paused once more in her story, making sure the girls were listening. They were. "Jeremiah described the animal as a beast as big as Mor'du, yet it was not a bear. It was a great cat."

"A cat!" Ilene and Merida exclaimed. "A giant cat?" Ilene demanded.

"Aye, a cat. None like any he'd ever seen before. It was huge! With one swipe of his paw he nearly killed him, and his teeth alone were six inches long. His claws were _seven_ inches long, and he roared louder and fiercer than any bear."

"That sounds like a tiger." Ilene said, troubled.

"That's the great cat of your homeland, Russia?" Merida inquired.

"Aye." Ilene nodded. "They are a symbol of strength and brutality."

"What would a tiger be doing here?" Merida muttered. Elinor and Ilene didn't answer as they sat in silence.

"No tiger should be that big." Ilene said at long last. "I think our original idea is right, Merida. I think someone went to the witch to change their fate."

"But whom? And why would they become a tiger?" Merida demanded. "Mum and Mor'du turned into bears, not tigers!"

"I don't know why! Magic never made sense to me anyways." Ilene stood up, and glanced at Elinor. "Mum, I think we need to take a ride and go find the witch. She can answer this."

Elinor instantly stood up. "No, it's too dangerous!" she protested. "If there is a beast roaming around the woods, killing full grown men, ye two don't stand a chance against it."

"We'll ride double on Rylee." Merida suggested. "He's a thoroughbred-if we met up with this monster we can outrun him."

"No! I don't want to risk losing you two." Elinor said firmly.

"Mum, the only way to know for sure if we're dealing with another kind of Mor'du is to go and find the witch again." Ilene insisted. "If we have another beast who's really a person, we need to help them, before they _stay _a monster. Ye remember with Mor'du? He killed hundreds of men, women and children before we finally got rid of him. We can't risk having _another _one of him roaming the woods and murdering everyone it meets."

"But it could already be too late." Elinor reminded her blond daughter. "The spell may have already taken its toll, and it's too late to save them."

"The only way to find out is to ride to the witch's cottage and find her again." Merida mused.

"If ye two plan on doing this, than yer father or myself will be accompanying ye." Elinor said decisively. "I am not willing to lose ye to some kind of threat I don't even know what it is."

"Oh." Merida said, surprised. "O-kay. Actually, that would probably work out better in the long run anyways. Ye or Dad would know better what to do."

"Then I shall talk it over with yer father, and we'll decide if this is a fool's errand or if it's necessary to save the kingdom."

Elinor walked gracefully out of the room, instructing as she left, "Oh, and girls? Try not to make too much noise. Jeremiah is in the guest room, and will stay there until he has healed from his wounds."

"Yes Mum!"

"And that includes no arguing."

Merida glanced at Ilene, and mouthed, "That was yer fault."

"Was not." Ilene mouthed back.

"EVEN silent arguing." Elinor said as she closed the door behind her.

Both of the girls stared at the door, wondering how their Mum had known.

* * *

Fergus agreed with Elinor that the girls should not make such a dangerous venture into the woods alone, and in the end Elinor _and _Fergus decided to come along with them. The boys, Hamish, Hubert and Harris were to be left in the care of the maid, whom was not at all happy about the arrangement.

Ilene, Merida, Elinor and Fergus were on their horses and on their way into the woods by the time the sun showed it was high noon. Ilene and Merida couldn't remember the last time they'd taken a ride with their Mum and Dad all by themselves, and were thrilled to have this special treat, even if they were on a dangerous mission.

It had snowed another three inches during the night, and the horses were having fun stomping into the drifts, sending a white spray into the air.

"Just like children." Elinor had laughed as her grey Shire mare Elise leapt over an imaginary log, sending the powder everywhere.

About two in the afternoon, they found the Ring of Stones.

As usual it was eerie and nerve-wracking, the great stones towering over the four riders. The horses were nervous and pawed the ground anxiously, making deep holes in the snow.

"This is it." Elinor said, gesturing towards a dark trail leading deeper into the forest. "Last time I was here, I was a bear."

As if that sparked a memory from long ago they simultaneously glanced at one of the large pillars that had toppled down, knowing that the body of Mor'du lay beneath it. It was under a foot and a half of snow, so they were spared the sight of his claws sunken into the dirt.

"Which way?" Fergus asked, keeping a tight rein on his brown stallion Ryder, who was prancing nervously.

"I think Mum's right, it's that way." Ilene gestured towards the trail Elinor had pointed out.

"Aye, that looks right." Merida agreed. "Just like I remembered it. Except there wasn't any snow."

Ilene giggled nervously, not sure why she was laughing. Father, Mother and daughters cued their horses into a walk, following the trail towards what they hoped would end at the home of the witch.

* * *

_So the beast is a giant cat? What kind of cat would be that big? And is the cat really a person turned animal? What will the witch say? Guess you'll have to find out two reviews later!_

_Thanks for reading and please review! Thank you!  
_

_-Shire  
_


	5. Confirmation

_Well, I'm back again! Thanks to Synchronized Harmony and Sha28 for the reviews! You two keep me updating!  
_

_And Synchronized Harmony, about your question how Ilene knew about tigers...hmm, she just does. :D Okay, truth is I forgot about that small factor. Oh well, we'll pretend she did research or something of the sort. :D  
_

_Thanks for reading and please review!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter Five_

Confirmation

The old witch chiseled away at a new carving, one like she'd never done before. Usually she only did bear carvings, but since she'd met the foreigner she had started on two new ones. The one she had finished looked like a dog, and the one she was working on looked somewhat like a bear, but with a long tail…

"Auck!" her crow called. "Someone's coming! Someone's coming!"

"Ah, I was expecting company today." She murmured, putting down her carving tools and hiding the new carving.

"Why don't you tell me anything?" The crow whined, cawing again.

"Because you're a stupid bird brain and it's none of your business anyways!" she snapped, just as the door opened.

The witch turned towards the door, and beheld a redhead girl. A very familiar redhead girl.

"Princess! So nice to have you come back!" The witch said cheerily, shuffling over to the girl. "Though I'd appreciate it if you didn't blow up my house while I'm not here." she added, scowling. Then she returned to her sales pitch. "Are you back for more wood carvings? I hope you found your purchases satisfactory."

Merida stepped in fully now, followed by Ilene, Elinor and Fergus. "Oh, you brought the whole family!" the witch said, clasping her hands in joy. "What can I do for you today?"

Before they could answer she rushed towards one of her new carvings, one of two bears fighting. "Would you be interested in this piece? You know there's quite a story behind it."

"No thank you." Elinor said quickly, recognizing the two bears as herself and Mor'du.

"How about this one? I'm sure the bear king would love this to decorate his chamber." The old woman shoved a carving of a bear with an arrow sticking out of his hide into Fergus's face, and he pushed it away. "No thank you, lass. We've come here today-"

But the witch didn't let him finish. "Perhaps this for the young princess?" she asked hopefully, pulling out one of her new carvings and placing it in Ilene's hand. Ilene stared at it, recognizing it as a wolf. _The sign of my forefathers. _

"I thought ye only did bear carvings?" Ilene asked timidly as she set the carving down.

"Do you like that one? It's half off. Everything is half off."

"No thank you." Ilene said, shaking her head.

"Lass," Fergus began again, and when the witch started to interrupt he barked, "Listen to me, please!"

"Fine fine, Mr. Bossy." She mumbled, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "I hope you don't want another spell-I'm really done with spells right now. I just made one for a man three days ago-"

"That's what we came to see ye about!" Elinor exclaimed.

"No! No more spells! I'm done making spells!" She screeched.

"We aren't asking ye for a spell! We're asking ye who the person was who came for the spell, what did they wish for and what animal did ye turn them into?" Ilene explained.

"Sorry, can't tell you that." The witch stated. "Customer protection, you know."

"Ye don't understand!" Merida groaned. "There's a chance that your customer has turned into a killer! A monster!"

"Tsk. Wouldn't be the first time." The witch sniffed. "That's the price for playing with magic. You know what they say, 'play with magic and you'll get burned'."

"I thought the saying was 'play with _matches_ and you'll get burned'." Fergus corrected.

"What your mouth young man!" the old woman snapped.

Fergus threw his hands up in defeat.

"Please, m'lady," Elinor said, folding her hands in front of her, "If we don't find out who this man is who got a spell from ye, hundreds of people may be killed!"

The witch glanced at Elinor warily. "Well, I sometimes sell my customer names to telemarketers who want to sell their products." She mused. "Tell you what, you can buy the story from me."

"Buy it? _Buy _it!" Fergus shouted. "Ye old hag, I should lock ye up for such trickery-"

"Fergus!" Elinor shushed him. "She will give us his name if we buy it from her. We'll know who he is and what he turned into, and if that cat is him!"

Fergus sighed, and begrudgingly took out a bag of coins, tossing it to the witch.

"Thank you!" She sang out, cackling. "The man you seek came to me three days ago, and asked for the strength of ten men."

"What!" all of them yelled at once.

"Easy on the ears!" The witch muttered, covering her ears with her hands. "Really?"

"The strength of _ten _men?" Merida repeated. "Ye mean, just like the prince who turned into Mor'du?"

"That's right dearie." The witch told her. "He came in here in a huff, and demanded that I give him this spell. So I gave it to him, and he left."

"And…what did he turn into?" Ilene stammered.

"Sorry, can't tell you that."

"Oh come on!" Fergus growled. "It's not like we don't already know! He turned into that cat that's roaming the forest, didn't he?"

"How can we change him back?" Elinor added. "What can change his fate?"

The witch stroked her chin. "Let's see, I forget how many days I gave him before the spell became permanent." She thought out loud. "Was it, two? No, I gave him five!"

"How come ye didn't give _us _that much time?" Merida grumbled under her breath.

The witch heard her. "That's because you didn't need that much time." She retorted. "This man needs all the help he can get! He's pretty much a lost cause, but still, there's hope even for his type."

"So we have two days left to change him back." Ilene figured out. "How do we change this-cat, back into a person?"

"I gave him this spell breaker." The old woman told them, than cleared her throat. "'To change your fate, you must first change yourself. You are who you choose to be.'"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Merida demanded. "It sounds like he has to do all the changin' on his own!"

"He does. He's the one who must change his heart if he wishes to be a real person again."

"You still haven't told us his name." Elinor reminded her.

"I didn't say I'd give you his name. I said I'd sell you his story." She replied with a toothy grin.

"Why you!" Fergus stepped towards her, but Elinor held him back.

"She has given us enough information that we know that he is the giant cat." Elinor told him. She turned back to the witch. "Thank you for your time."

The witch nodded. "No problem, your majesty. Do stop by again! I'll have more carvings for sale soon!"

Elinor and Fergus ignored the comment and walked out the door, Merida right behind them and Ilene in the back.

"Wait, young princess!" the witch called out right before Ilene stepped out the door. She waddled over to her, and placed in Ilene's hand two carvings. "Remember," she said, locking gazes with Ilene, "Things aren't always what they seem. There are reasons for everything."

Ilene stared at the witch, biting her lower lip as she wondered what that meant.

"Come on Ilene!" Merida shouted, mounting up on Angus.

"Thank, thank you." Ilene said offhandedly, running out the door with the two carvings in her hand. She went to mount up on Mystery, but glanced down at the carvings first. They were carvings of a wolf and a tiger.

Ilene turned towards the witch, in hopes to ask what these carvings meant-but she was gone. They were in the Ring of Stones again, and there was no cottage to be found.

"How does she do that?" Merida muttered. No one answered as Ilene joined her family after mounting up on Mystery.

* * *

"So our giant cat is really a man who wished for the strength of ten men." Fergus said with a shake of his head as they sat around the dinner table. "What fool would wish for that, after hearin' the story of Mor'du?"

"A foolish one." Elinor agreed. "And he only has two days left to change himself back."

"Yet he's already killed two men, and almost killed another." Merida pointed out. "The witch said he was almost a lost cause-there may be no hope for him."

"But remember Merida, with these spells come fits of animal like behavior, Jeremiah and the other men may have come upon him when he was in one of those modes." Elinor told her.

"Why a cat?" Ilene murmured, getting the attention of the other members of the family. "Why not a bear? Everyone was a bear before this, why is this man a cat?" she was staring at the carvings of the wolf and tiger the witch had given her, knowing that each one was the symbol of the two feuding families. Her own family, the Petrovs, and their adversaries, the Kolinskys. The Kolinskys had chosen the sign of the tiger as their family sign, to symbolize strength and power. The Petrovs had chosen the wolf as theirs, to signify cunningness and intelligence, as well as slyness. The more and more Ilene heard about this great cat, the more and more she wondered if it was a tiger.

"Ilene," Merida said comfortingly, snapping Ilene out of her thoughts, "Just because he's a great cat doesn't mean he's a tiger."

"I didn't say he was a tiger, only a great cat." Ilene defended, not wanting them to think she was afraid.

"Ye were thinking it." Merida told her.

Ilene looked away, annoyed that her sister knew her so well. "There are other great cats that aren't tigers." She stated stiffly. "Lord Edward told me that there are also these cats called lions, and another kind called leopards. He may be one of those." She turned her gaze back to the redhead. "We don't know what he is until we see him."

"But ye've never seen a lion, or a leopard, or a tiger." Elinor commented. "How would ye know which is which?"

Ilene looked down at the tiger carving in her hand, noting the vicious look that carried over even in the simple wood design. "If it is a tiger, I'll know." She said finally. "I've seen one before, in me dream."

"The sign of Yarik's family, the Collinstes?" Fergus asked.

"Kolinskys." Ilene corrected, letting out a slight smile. Fergus could never get the name right.

"I'm sure everything will turn out alright, Ilene." Elinor said soothingly. "We'll figure out a way to find this cat, and we'll help him turn back."

"We certainly need to work fast, or we'll have another Mor'du on our hands." Fergus grumbled. "And I for one don't want to even think of the possibility."

Merida and Ilene shivered. They too, didn't want to think of what would happen if they weren't able to turn this new threat, this new monster like creature-back into a man.

* * *

_So for sure now we know that the great cat in the forest was once a man. But who in their right mind would ask for such a thing if they'd heard the tale of Mor'du? Perhaps someone who never heard it...but all of Scotland heard about it! So this man has to be a foreigner. The witch did call him a foreigner. I wonder... :D_

_Thanks for reading, please review and I'll post the next chapter two reviews later!  
_

_-Shire  
_


	6. More Killings

_Howdy howdy howdy! Thank ya'll fer bein' so patient in awaitin' another chapter. Special thanks ta Synchronized Harmony and Sha28 fer the reviews. Hope yer enjoyin' the story so far, and I appreciate ya'll leavin' me reviews. :)_

_So here's the next chapter ya'll, hope ya enjoy and thanks fer readin'! Please review and I'll see ya'll two reviews later!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter six_

More Killings

He snorted, the snow blowing up his nostrils. That sent him into a fit of sneezes, leaping around and sneezing the powder out of his nose. He hated that feeling!

He stopped sneezing and shook his head, grunting. It had been what? Three days? Three days since he'd gone to that witch. And now the sun was rising, marking the fourth day. He had until tomorrow to figure out how to change back into a man. He was beginning to get nervous, wondering if he was going to stay a beast forever. He supposed he could look on the bright side-he would be able to keep his great strength. But what worried him were the bouts of odd happenings, where he felt like he really _was _an animal. It was as if his animal body took over his human mind, and made him think like the monster he was. That scared him. As long as he could keep his human mind, he decided it wouldn't be that bad being a great cat, but what if tomorrow he woke with the mind of an animal in his place? What then? He wouldn't be able to think clearly, and wouldn't be able to finish what he'd started. That was the reason why he was here, the reason he'd gone to that witch. He _had _to finish the task at hand, he had promised!  
The giant feline sniffed the air, his stomach rumbling. He was hungry. It didn't bother him that he had to kill to eat; it merely made him feel more powerful. He liked that feeling, the feeling of power and strength. It felt good. It felt like he was in charge, and no one could ever tell him otherwise. Since three days before, he had already killed several deer and six men. It excited him that with one chomp of his teeth or with one blow of his paw he could kill just about anything that got in his way. So far only one thing had escaped from his grasp-a random wanderer who had succeeded in distracting him long enough that the stranger was able to leap onto his horse and gallop away. He had chased them down though, until he had grown tired and decided it wasn't worth it. He had then laid off, and went to find other easier prey.

And now he needed to eat again. As large as he was, he had to eat a lot before his hunger was satisfied. And it took a lot of meat to do so.

The monstrous creature sniffed the air once more, and he detected a distant smell. It smelled like, well, like someone was cooking. That meant he was near a village or settlement of some sort. And where there was a village, there was food. Horses, yaks, sheep, _people_. There was an assortment of good things to choose from. And no one could stop him.

He started off in the direction of the smell, grinning to himself as best he could. But deep inside of him was turmoil, pondering on what the witch had told him was the spell breaker. _To change your fate, you must first change yourself. You are who you choose to be. _What did she mean by that? Of course he was who he chose to be! So what did he need to change?

He knew the answer, but he didn't want to look at it-yet. If it came down to it he figured he could do it, but it would take a lot of effort. A _lot _of effort. The thought of even doing it sent shivers down his back, and he stopped to roar. He hated the very idea. _I will not do it! _He snarled to himself. _I can't do it! To do so would be going against everything I am, everything my family is, everything I promised! _And he was a man of his word. But was he really willing to sacrifice his sanity for a promise? There was a very good chance tomorrow his own mind wouldn't exist, replaced by the beast he was in the form of right now. He would be an animal for the rest of his life, a monster, a killing machine. Did he really want to be that?

He wondered if he could fake change so he wouldn't have to truly change, but then shook the thought out of his head. If worse came to worse, he would have to force himself to do the task ahead. And he was beginning to feel that such a thing would become inevitable if he wanted to become a man again.

_Forget your troubles! _He scolded himself. _I need to eat. _And there was a village ahead that would satisfy his cravings. He trotted through the woods, his blue eyes clouding over until he no longer looked like he still had part of himself there. The beast had taken over him again, and it was hungry for carnage.

* * *

"Yer majesties!" Mark the guard shouted, running into the room. It was early morning, and the DunBroch family was having an early breakfast so they could go out and find the great cat. They only had today and tonight to help this unfortunate being to change back into a man, and they weren't going to waste any time.

"What is it Mark?" Fergus asked, gulping down a cup of wine. He figured since he was going to go out and save his kingdom, he deserved a heavy drink before hand.

"The far north village of the DunBroch clan was attacked in the wee hours of this morning!" Mark gasped. "Thirty are dead, and nine are missing. The messenger is outside. It seems the killer was a monstrous great cat!"

Fergus spewed out his wine, and glanced at Elinor, who froze. The triplets' eyes widened, and Merida and Ilene stared at each other. _Thirty dead_?

"That sounds like our man!" Fergus finally said. "We'd better get moving now, before he kills someone else."

Fergus leapt up, as did Merida and Ilene. "We're coming with you." Merida said.

"No!" Fergus said firmly. "If he killed thirty people only this _morning_, and no doubt most of them were the men of the village, he will very well try to kill you two. No, this is a job for me and me men."

Fergus turned to Elinor, and kissed her. "Don't worry me darlin', I'll be back."

"Be careful Fergus." Elinor cautioned, her fear evident in her eyes. Fergus nodded, then turned to Mark.

"Gather the men! We leave right away!" Fergus commanded. Mark nodded, and raced out of the castle to gather up the guards.

"Good bye me family, I will be back later." Fergus promised, and he left.

"Bye Dad." Merida grumbled, annoyed she couldn't be helping. Ilene didn't say anything to their father, only stared down at her breakfast.

"Mum, I'm not hungry." Ilene said, pushing her food aside.

"I understand. Why don't ye go clean out Mystery's and Rylee's stalls?" Elinor suggested, her eyes softening as she looked into Ilene's. It was obvious Ilene was disturbed by the news.

"Good idea." Ilene muttered, getting up and walking out of the room. Elinor watched her leave, then turned to Merida.

"Perhaps ye should go with her?"

Merida nodded, and stood up, also leaving the dining room. That left Elinor with the triplets.

Elinor turned to her sons, who were in the middle of shooting spoonfuls of porridge at each other. "Boys!" Elinor groaned, and then laughed. She could always count on her sons to lighten the mood, no matter how dire the situation.

* * *

Merida walked out into the snow, heading towards the horse stalls. She could see the figure of Ilene as she busied herself in Rylee's stall. Merida shook her head, thinking how funny it was that Ilene had taken such a liking to the Thoroughbred stallion.

Merida grabbed a pitchfork and made her way to Angus's stall, which was right next to Rylee's. She began scooping up the manure, putting it into a bucket.

"Ilene?" she said, continuing her work. Ilene didn't answer as she continued to shuffle around. _Odd_. Merida thought.

Merida glanced over the stall wall, and dropped her pitchfork. "Oye!" She cried. "Ilene, what are ye doin'?"

Ilene had Rylee saddled, and she was just then putting on the bridle. "I'm goin' out." She grunted, slipping the bit between Rylee's teeth.

"But Dad said it was too dangerous!" Merida protested, climbing over the stall separator and jumping into Rylee's stall.

"I can't wait anymore Merida. I got to know if we're dealing with a tiger or not." Ilene stated, buckling the bridle under Rylee's chin. The big red stallion snorted, annoyed he wasn't going to get to finish his breakfast.

"Ilene, if ye meet up with this monster it'll kill ye!"

Ilene opened the stall door and led Rylee out. "I have to know."

"Thirty people, Ilene! Thirty people it killed only this morning!" Merida persisted, following Ilene as Ilene headed to the supplies shed. Ilene opened the shed, dropped Rylee's reins and walked in, rummaging around. She emerged with a sword in her hand, which she placed in the sheath that hung from her side. She began to walk past Merida, but Merida grabbed her arm and whirled her around. "Ilene, yer insane!" Merida snapped.

"Let go of me!" Ilene jerked herself away from Merida. "I have to go and find out if it's a tiger, Ilene! I have to!"

"Why? What does it matter?" Merida growled, crossing her arms as she glared at her blond sister. Ilene narrowed her eyes, glaring back.

"Ye wouldn't understand." She said stiffly, turning and grabbing Rylee's reins.

"Maybe I would if ye told me!" Merida huffed, following Ilene to the mounting block.

"Ye'd think I was a fool."

"I already _do _think that, so it can't get much worse."

Ilene sighed, and stopped. She glanced at the Thoroughbred she was leading, than towards Merida. "Merida, why would this man turn into a great cat? Why not a bear like before? Why did the witch give me a wolf and tiger carving? Why did she tell me _'Things aren't always what they seem. There's a reason for everything_'? And most of all, why do I get the feeling that I know this beast that's roaming around?"

Merida didn't answer, and Ilene took that to mean she wasn't going to answer. She turned away from Merida and got onto the mounting block, and mounted up on Rylee.

"Wait, Ilene!" Merida said, running towards the front of the horse and grabbing his reins. She looked up at the blond girl, who gave her a dangerous look.

"Don't try and stop me." Ilene told her.

"Who do ye think turned into the great cat?" She asked.

Ilene shook her head. "I don't know. I just feel like I know who it is. Maybe I'll know if I meet up with it."

"If you meet up with it, it'll kill you." Merida warned. She looked towards Angus's stall, and rolled her eyes. "Well," she said at last, "If ye persist on going on this fools errand, then I'm coming with you."

"Merida!" Ilene moaned as Merida went into the supply shed, grabbed a bridle, a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and then headed towards Angus's stall. "Ye don't have to come with me! In fact I'd prefer if ye didn't! Then we'll both get in trouble when we get home."

"That's if we get home. Remember, this monster is a murderous creature. There's a good chance that if we meet up with it that it will kill us or at least try to." Merida called back, putting Angus's bridle on and leading him out. She didn't bother saddling him up, she could ride bareback just as well as in the saddle.

"Then why are ye coming with me, if yer so sure it will kill us?" Ilene grumbled as Merida mounted up on Angus, guiding him next to Ilene's horse.

"Because someone's got to go with ye, ye crazy girl." Merida explained. "Besides, I'm curious about this monster anyways."

Ilene stared at Merida, and Merida couldn't help but grin. "And ye said I was crazy!" Ilene exclaimed.

"Ye are. But I am too. Let's go, before Mum finds out."

The two girls kicked their horses into a canter, cantering out of the courtyard and into the forest.

* * *

_So Ilene and Merida are on their way to seek out the giant cat. Will they find answers? What will become of them? Guess you'll just have to find out later! :D_

_Thanks for reading and please review!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_


	7. Not Again!

_Augh! Even though I only received one review, I couldn't stand the thought of waiting for another review to post this chapter. Thanks to Synchronized Harmony for reviewing, I appreciate it. :D And thanks to 10 for favoriting both this story and the _Adversary's Daughter_. I appreciate that. :D  
_

_How about you other readers? Perhaps you will review, please? I mean it, I would like at least two reviews to post the next chapter. Hopefully that will inspire you to review. :D  
_

_Okay, so, here's the next chapter, enjoy, please review and I'll see you all later!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter seven_

Not Again!

"I spy with me little eye something that is bro-"

"Tree."

"I didn't even finish!"

"It was a tree."

"How did ye know?"

"What else would it be? That's all we've seen!" Merida snapped, annoyed. She asked Angus to jump over a log, which he did willingly. He had always liked jumping.

Ilene didn't answer, only guided Rylee around a deep snow bank. "It has to be at least one in the afternoon now." She mused.

"It's hard to tell, the clouds are covering the sky." Merida said, glancing up at the dark sky. "I bet it's going to snow again."

"Let's hope not before we find some tracks." Ilene sighed. Rylee stopped, and she cued him to continue forward. "Come on laddie, we have more ground to cover." She coaxed. Rylee tossed his head, and then continued on.

"Wonder if Dad's had more luck that we." Merida grumbled.

"With that group of men he's got? No doubt."

Merida whoaed Angus and waited for Ilene, who was having trouble getting Rylee to jump over a log. Rylee refused to go over, and kept pawing the ground.

"Come on boy!" Ilene shouted, kicking him. He reared, nearly sending Ilene flying off. Then he trotted around the log and back onto the path. "Stupid horse." Ilene muttered as she joined back up with Merida.

"He is most certainly not a jumper." Merida commented, a grin crossing her face. "Which is odd, considering how long his legs are."

Ilene rolled her eyes, and continued on with her older sister. They rode in silence for a while, keeping an eye on the forest, wary of danger. It was quiet, which only added to the tension. Not even the winter fowl sang their songs, but remained silent.

"Ilene." Merida said suddenly, turning to face Ilene. "What was yer real name again?"

"Huh?" Ilene asked, confused. "Why are ye thinking of that?"

"I don't know. I was just thinking about our trip to England two months ago, and was trying to remember what we found out was yer real name. Was it Natasha?"

"No, that was me Mum's name. My name is Tonya." Ilene told her. "Strange to think I have two names. My real name, Tonya Petrov, and my DunBroch name, Ilene DunBroch."

"I like yer DunBroch name better." Merida told her, reining Angus around a ditch. "Which one do you like the most?"

Ilene shrugged. "I dunno. I suppose my DunBroch name, since that's the only one I've ever used. Why all the questions?"

"I just want to talk. It's so quiet right now, it's eerie."

"I agree. It makes me feel like we're being watched."

"I know, right? I keep feeling like we're being followed." As if to make sure this wasn't the case, both girls looked back. Nothing.

"I bet Mum's having a fit right now."

Merida agreed. "Aye. When we get home I'm going to tell her this was yer idea."

"Ye wanted to come along!" Ilene protested. "Yer responsible for yerself."

"If Mum knew the situation, she'd agree that I'd done the right thing to come along with ye." Merida jeered.

"Oye! I really _believe _that. More likely she'll scold ye for not comin' and telling her I left!" Ilene said sarcastically.

"Maybe."

"Merida, ye can be downright impossible."

"Same to ye, Ilene, same to ye."

Once more they rode in silence, trotting their horses here and there and cuing them around obstacles they wouldn't be able to cross.

"Merida? I'm sorry." Ilene suddenly said, sighing. "I don't want to argue with ye."

Merida couldn't resist, it was just too rich. "Thank ye. I don't want ye arguing with me either." Ilene rolled her eyes, and Merida laughed. "Seriously though, Ilene, I forgive ye. I'm sorry too." It was quiet for a minute, then Merida said with a put-on smile, "Weird to think this could be our last argument."

"I don't want to even consider that." Ilene shuddered.

"Just sayin."

"Let's talk about something else."

Merida racked her brain for a suitable subject. "Uhmm, well, let's see. How about the time ye and I got revenge on the boys for dumping manure in our beds, and we tied them up and stuck jam all over their faces?"

Ilene burst out laughing. "Aye, and then Dad's dogs came and licked it all off, and we kept plastering their face with it and the dogs kept eating it. That was funny."

"Then Mum walked in." Merida remembered. "And we got in so much trouble! She sent us to our room, and we didn't get dinner that night."

"And I told her that the boys had started it, putting manure in our bed and all." Ilene chuckled. "And she said 'a lady does not get revenge, no matter what someone did to her.' We were so upset and angry! Then we figured she was right, and from then on whenever the triplets did something we just pretended it never happened. And it worked! They stopped playin' jokes on us because we were boring to them!"

"Yeah, that was fun." Merida smiled. "Do ye remember time when Hamish, Harris and Hubert and ye and I all played a joke on Dad? We loosened his cinch, so that when he got on Ryder it flipped on him and he fell right off his horse! We were laughin' so hard, that Dad couldn't help but laugh with us. Though he warned us never to do it again."

"He was serious, too." Ilene recalled. She glanced at Merida. "Why are we bringing all these memories up, like something bad is going to happen to us?"

Merida pondered that. "I suppose, deep down we're both scared and we're afraid to admit it." She decided.

"Are ye scared, Merida?"

Merida nodded. "How about ye?"

"Aye. Whenever we aren't talkin' me mind wanders back to what happened this morning in the village."

Merida cringed. "How could one animal do so much damage in such a short amount of time?"

"Just like Mor'du, Merida. He's acting just like Mor'du." Ilene pointed out. "He's getting out of control, too."

"Do ye really think he's a tiger, Ilene?" Merida inquired, whoaing Angus. Ilene whoaed Rylee, who tossed his head in annoyance.

"I don't know. I hope not, Merida."

"Why not? Why would a tiger be worse than that other type of cat, a lion?"

Ilene shook her head. "I dunno. Perhaps tigers always bring back the memory of me dream. It also reminds me of…" her voice trailed off, and Merida didn't have to know what she was going to say.

"He's dead, Ilene." She said comfortingly. "He isn't coming back."

"I know."

They sat there on their horses, remembering their journey to England that had so nearly ended in Ilene's death. It was no wonder that Ilene grew scared whenever she thought that the great cat was a tiger, Yarik Kolinsky was as close to a tiger as a man could get. And the Kolinsky sign _was _the tiger. It seemed fitting, Merida thought, that such a cruel and vicious man would admire such a large and violent creature.

Angus started to toss his head and paw, snorting. Rylee caught wind of his attitude and did the same, prancing in place.

"What is it, Angus?" Merida asked the Clydesdale, petting him on his neck. "Are ye alright?" Angus neighed nervously, doing a half rear. "Angus!" Merida gasped, shocked. Angus _never _behaved this way. "What's wrong me laddie?"

Without warning a blur of black and white leapt out from behind a tree, roaring so horrendously that it hurt the girls' ears! With a neigh of terror Rylee bucked Ilene off, Ilene crying out in surprise as she fell to the ground.

Angus reared, and Merida slipped right off his back. Both the Clydesdale and the Thoroughbred took off at a gallop, the black and white fur ball chasing after them.

"Angus! Stop!" Merida screamed, leaping up and running after the horse.

The drought horse didn't stop, but the pursuer did.

Merida stopped in her tracks, and Ilene slowly stood up, both of them breathing heavily as they beheld the sight before them. The creature growled, and crouched down low.

"Merida." Ilene whispered. "It's a tiger."

Never before had Merida seen anything like the animal that stood before her now. It was as big as a bear, probably bigger, but it had a long tail, which now flicked continuously. Its paws were indeed half the size of a man, and when it hissed it revealed six inch long fangs. Its entire body was white with black stripes, and its nose was black. The tiger's eyes were dilated as it snarled at them, stepping towards them.

Ilene trembled as she watched the tiger slink closer, growling as it pinned it's ears back. "Merida, look." She stammered. "Look at its eyes. The mind of the animal has taken over."

"Don't move, Ilene." Merida said in a quiet tone. "The traveler, Jeremiah, said it's attracted to movement."

The tiger suddenly roared, and leapt forwards. Ilene squealed and jumped away, grabbing the attention of the feline. It jumped at her, flailing its paws at her. Ilene somehow managed to dodge the beast's onslaught, and flung herself to the ground and out of its immediate reach.

"Ilene!" Merida screamed, grabbing her bow and an arrow and shooting at the tiger. To her surprise the arrow bounced off its flank, and the beast screeched in pain. With one quick movement it turned on her, slashing the bow out of her hand and breaking it into two pieces.

Merida backed up and stared up at the tiger as it roared again, its teeth barred as it stalked towards her. The monster towered over her, his head at least four feet wide, his eyes wild and crazed as he snarled at her. He lifted a paw to strike her, and then screamed again when a rock struck him in the head.

The beast whirled around and hissed at Ilene, who held another rock in her hand. "Get away from me sister!" She yelled, aiming the rock at the tiger. It pounced towards her, and she threw the rock right between his eyes.

The feline fell back, shaking his head where the rock had struck and growling.

Ilene grabbed another rock, her heart thundering as the creature turned its gaze towards her. The animal look had left it, and its true eye color showed. Ilene's heart stopped as she dropped the rock, stepping back in sheer terror. She knew those eyes anywhere.

* * *

_CLIFF HANGER! *Cliff hanger, hanging from a cliff! And that's why he's called cliff hanger!* Yes, I watched that too, for those of you who recognize that song. :D I was a child once, too. :D_

_Please review and thanks for reading!_

_-Shire  
_


	8. Yarik

_Yay yay yay! Thank you, Synchronized Harmony and Sha28 for the reviews! I have been lurking around awaiting reviews (That's what happens when you're sick, there's several inches of snow outside and you can't ride your horse because of you're leg after he threw you the week before. You spend A LOT of time on a computer) and I am happy to say I am updating! Oh, and thanks to Synchronized Harmony for favoriting the story, I appreciate it!  
_

_Read and review! Thank you very much!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter eight_

Yarik

"Yarik!" Ilene gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Yarik, is that you?"

The tiger's eyes widened, his head whirling at the sight of the blond girl in front of him. _Tonya Petrov. _His mind screamed. He snarled, barring his teeth at her. _It's because of you that I am this monster! _

Merida stared at Ilene and the tiger, her mind piecing together the information she'd just heard. _How can this be! Yarik is dead! _Yet Ilene would know better than anyone if this monster of an animal before them was the late Russian.

"Yarik." Ilene now said, her lower lip trembling. "What have ye done to yerself?"

Yarik growled, straightening himself out. His full height was overwhelming, and Ilene guessed he was at least seven feet at his shoulder.

"Yarik, yer a tiger. A beast. An _animal_! Do ye really want to be that?" Ilene asked, stepping towards the feline. He spat at her.

"Ilene! What are ye doing!" Merida cried as Ilene stepped closer to the tiger. "He's tried to kill ye once when he was a man, he won't hesitate to try it again as an animal!"

Ilene ignored her and came closer to the cat. Yarik didn't back down, but he didn't advance either. He merely pinned his ears back and kept his teeth barred.

"Yarik, oh Yarik, don't ye see what ye've become? Ye only have one day left before ye stay this way! You'll be a tiger forever! You'll think like an animal, you'll hunt down and kill animals and people until someone comes and kills ye. Yer a monster! And yer going to stay that way unless ye try to change the spell." Ilene continued, her voice trembling in fear as she came right up to Yarik. She was only half a foot away from his head before she stopped in front of him. She wanted to faint as she stared into his eyes, glancing down at the fangs in his mouth. If he wanted, he could easily snap her up and swallow her whole without a second thought, and she was only six inches away from his mouth. With one swipe of his paw he could kill her, and yet he didn't move. His blue eyes showed pure hatred for her though, and Ilene shook as she stood there in front of him, waiting to see any sign of mellowing.

* * *

Yarik stared into the little girl's eyes, her fear so obvious it was hilarious to him that she was pretending to be brave. Yet here she stood, right in front of him, only six inches away. _You stupid child. _He growled. _I could knock you to the ground and kill you, or eat you in one gulp. _Indeed, she was still a young girl, and it wouldn't have been hard for him to do so. He towered over her, he was a giant next to her, and yet she remained steadfast in front of him. Yarik was impressed. _You're crazy, Tonya. I respect that. _But not enough to spare her life.

Suddenly he leapt into action, leaping forward and knocking her to the ground. Ilene yelped as she stared up at him, his fangs dripping. He snarled and placed one of his paws on her chest, shoving her deeper into the snow but not injuring her. She screeched, weakly trying to shove him away, much to his amusement.

"Ilene!" Merida screamed, not even realizing she was running forward until Yarik jerked his head up as she came too close to him and his prey. He snarled at her and swiped her off her feet with his paw. Merida fell flat on her face, and Yarik returned his gaze back to Ilene.

He could kill her right now, he knew that. But he didn't want to yet. He was enjoying tormenting her as she lay helplessly on her back beneath him, staring up at him and sobbing her fears out.

He thrust his face into hers with a growl, opening his mouth as wide as he could and roaring in her face.

"Oh dear God, help me!" she cried out in prayer, closing her eyes as she shook uncontrollably. "Help me, please!"

Yarik almost laughed. As it is, his laughter came out as snorting, and he grinned a horrible tiger grin. _No one can save you, Tonya. Isn't that painfully obvious? _He wished he could speak, but he knew he couldn't.

Here came that redhead again. She'd gotten up and now had a rock in her hand, ready to throw it at him. _Stupid Scots girl. _He thought, rolling his eyes and turning his head to watch her.

"Leave her alone Yarik!" she shouted at him, her own eyes filled with tears as she raised the rock to strike him. Yarik extended his claws a little, just enough so that Ilene could feel them in her chest. She did, and screeched.

"Merida! Drop the rock!" Ilene sobbed. "He'll only hurt me more!" Merida bit her lower lip, undecided. He dug in a little deeper. "_PLEASE_!"

Merida dropped the rock, and Yarik nodded to show her she'd done what he wanted. He retracted his claws, and Ilene gulped in air, trying to wrap her arms around herself but not being able to do so, for his paw was in the way. She looked exhausted, and Yarik realized he may have hurt her more than he'd wanted to.

"Yarik!" Ilene wailed. "If yer going to kill me, please get it over with!"

_Oh, so you want me to kill you? _He hissed. _Then I won't! _

"Yarik, please!" Merida begged, stepping towards the tiger. He shot his head down to Ilene's neck, barely putting his teeth around her. Ilene froze, choking back her cries and holding her breath as he held his position, ready to snap his jaws shut should he need to. "No!" Merida cried, stopping. "Please don't kill her Yarik! Please! I'll do whatever ye want, but _please don't kill me sister_!"

Yarik didn't release his hold, and Merida stepped back. Instantly he removed his teeth from the blond girl's neck, and Merida realized that he didn't want her coming any closer. "If its money ye want, we'll get it for ye. Whatever ye want, we'll get it give it to ye. Please, would ye let her go?"

The tiger shook his head. Merida was running out of time to save Ilene, and she had to think of something, _fast_. "Perhaps ye want us to help ye break the spell?" she suggested. Yarik raised an eyebrow, and Merida realized she'd hit the mark dead on. "That's right! We'll help ye break the spell! We'll find out what yer spell breaker is, and we'll get ye back to being a normal person!" she encouraged.

Yarik considered this, glancing down at Ilene. She took hold of the thin thread of hope, and joined in with Merida's suggestion. "We can help ye, Yarik." Ilene whispered. "We can get yah back to normal. Do ye really want to be a tiger forever?"

_No, I don't. _He thought. _But unless you have a better idea on how to break this spell, I really should just eat you. _He gazed at Ilene, than at Merida, and then back at Ilene. She was holding her breath again, waiting for him to kill her or to release her. _It couldn't hurt. _He decided._ Perhaps they can find a better way to break this spell than I could._ That was possible. It was very likely that since he'd taken on the form of a tiger he hadn't been thinking correctly, and the girls may very well have more ideas on how to change him than he did. He didn't want to be a tiger forever. He wanted to be a man again, to hold his sword once more, and to be respected and feared as a man, not as a monstrous animal.

Yarik made his decision. He could still kill Ilene if he was a man, and the girls had a better chance of getting him back to normal than he did as a tiger.

Begrudgingly he removed his paw from Ilene and stepped away from her, giving her the chance to scramble up and run to Merida.

"Oh, Merida!" Ilene cried, hugging the redhead girl tightly. Merida hugged her back, and they both sunk to the ground crying.

"It's okay Ilene. It's alright." She soothed, stroking Ilene's hair.

Yarik lay down, watching them. _No, it's not okay you fools. _He growled. _When I'm done getting what I want from you, I'll kill you both. _

When they cried for about five minutes, he got bored waiting and stood up. Shaking the snow off of him, he walked up to the girls, growling.

Instantly Merida and Ilene got up, backing away from him. They knew it was very possible that he'd only released Ilene to spite them, and then he'd kill them both.

Yarik backed them into a tree, his teeth barred as he hissed. _Well? You said you could help me, Let's go! _He thought, annoyed that he could not convey his thoughts to the children.

"Mer-Merida, I think he wants-I think he wants to go now." Ilene stammered, holding tightly to the older girl. Yarik quickly nodded his head to show she'd guessed right.

Merida swallowed down her doubts and fears, and asked, "Ver-very well, where to first?"

Yarik gestured to them with his head that they follow, and then lifted one of his paws, extending his claws to show them he could kill them at any time.

"Understood." Merida said quickly. He nodded, pleased. Then turned around and walked away, heading North.

Merida and Ilene glanced at each other, than slowly followed after the tiger. It was hard not to run away, but they both knew he could strike them down easily.

Yarik stopped and roared, beckoning them on at a faster pace. He waited until they caught up with him, and then with barred teeth nudged Merida ahead.

"You want me to lead?" Merida asked. Once more he nodded his head. "Are we to continue on in this direction?" He nodded again.

Yarik glanced at Merida, who seemed very hesitant. _If I don't watch her every second she'll try something. _He thought. _She's a Scot, they're as stubborn as mules, and tricky too. _Ilene stood at his side, watching him with wide eyes. Suddenly his eyes lit up with a plan. _Unless-_

Yarik sprang forward and knocked Ilene to the ground, who screamed. "Yarik! Stop!" Merida yelled, running towards him. He grabbed the back of Ilene's dress collar with his teeth and lifted her up. Merida stopped in her tracks as he held the girl up high, Ilene covering her face with her hands and crying softly.

Yarik gestured with his tail that Merida lead the way he'd pointed out, and he shook his head to show her that if she tried anything, Ilene would pay.

Merida stared at the tiger, understanding. "Ye want me to lead, but if I try anything ye'll kill her?" she stuttered. Yarik shook his head 'yes.' "There's no need to do this to her!" Merida protested. "I'll do as ye say. I mean it."

Yarik stepped towards Merida, Ilene's dress still caught in his teeth as he held the girl several feet off the ground. He growled at the redhead, and Ilene shuddered. "Please, Merida, just do what he wants." She murmured softly. "Please?"

Merida glared at Yarik, who slightly grinned. "If ye do anything to her I'll-I'll-I won't help you!"

_I feel threatened. _He seemed to mock with his eyes.

Merida threw her hands up in defeat. "Very well, I'll lead. But I mean it, if ye so much as-"

Yarik snarled, and Merida stepped back. "Alright, alright! I get the picture!"

She turned around and walked off in the direction he'd designated, and he smiled to himself. He followed behind, still holding onto Ilene's dress collar.

"If ye bite me I'll never forgive ye." Ilene grumbled, crossing her arms as she shivered. Yarik snorted his laughter.

* * *

_Okay, this chapter may have seen weird to you all, but I had fun writing it. Hopefully it wasn't strange or anything. :) It's a little hard to give character to an animal who can't talk, especially when he's the bad guy and he's supposed to be evil._

_Thanks for reading and please review! I will update when I receive two reviews!  
_

_-Shire  
_


	9. Bossy Tiger!

_Well, I'm back! Thank you Sha28 and Guest for reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so far and I always appreciate it when you leave reviews! :)  
_

_Oh, and here's to a question Synchronized Harmony asked earlier. The song I was quoting with the 'Cliff Hanger' came from Between the Lions, a TV show I used to watch when I was little. *Look, look! See, see! Who's going down the lane! There goes Jack, there goes Jill, there goes chicken Jane! Bock!* yes, I still remember all the songs. :) I liked that show a lot when I was little. :D  
_

_Well everyone, here's the next chapter, enjoy, and please read and review. Thank you!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter Nine_

Bossy Tiger!

Ilene decided that catching your foot in a stirrup and being dragged by a horse was like a birthday party compared to being carried in the teeth of a giant tiger.

She couldn't get that tingly feeling out of her back, knowing a centimeter closer with those teeth of his and he could kill her. It was awful, and she hated it. What was worse was Yarik was enjoying terrorizing her by throwing his head back and forth while he walked, causing her to swing to and fro.

"Yarik! Please stop!" Ilene begged, her head spinning. She felt ready to throw up.

"Leave her alone, Yarik!" Merida snapped, stopping in her tracks and glaring at the beast.

Yarik glared at Merida, and shook Ilene, _hard_. "Ohhh, I'm going to be sick." Ilene groaned. _That _got Yarik's attention, and he quite his teasing.

Merida was constantly watching the tiger, making sure he didn't hurt her younger sister. It was killing her that Ilene still had her sword strapped to her side, helpless to do anything. If she so much as reached down to grab it, Yarik would claw her or bit her. Somehow, Merida would have to get that sword from Ilene. With it, they may have a chance against the beast.

She knew that in the end, even if he turned back into a man or stayed a tiger, he'd kill them. And if he didn't kill Merida, he most certainly would kill Ilene. He hated her with everything he was, all because she was the daughter of his old adversary. _The Adversary's Daughter, _he called her with spite. Ilene had never even done anything, but just the fact that she was the daughter of a man named Timofey Petrov made her Yarik's enemy. Apparently Yarik's family line, the Kolinskys, had sworn to wipe out the Petrovs. And Yarik had nearly succeeded, killing all of them except one. And that one was now hanging from her dress collar which was in _his _mouth. If that wasn't ironic Merida didn't know what was.

Merida was so lost in her thoughts she hadn't been aware that the large beast behind her had stopped until she heard Ilene call out frantically, "Merida Merida Merida _Merida_!"

Merida whirled to face Ilene, finding that Yarik was shaking her around again. "There's no need for that!" Merida cried, running back. She was fuming, and it showed clearly. "I'm right here, you nasty beast!"

Yarik stopped shaking his head and growled at Merida, warning her not to try his patience. Merida crossed her arms and glared at him. "What is it that ye want?" she demanded.

Yarik turned around and gestured with his head that they were to change directions. He wanted her to head East, now.

Merida glanced at the direction he picked, noting the woods were overgrown with bushes and fallen branches. "That doesn't look like a very good trail." She told him.

He snarled, and Ilene glanced at Merida wildly. "Please don't make him angry." She begged.

Merida narrowed her eyes at the tiger, who met her gaze with his sharp blue eyes boring into hers. "He's already angry. I doubt I could make it worse." She snapped.

Yarik put his head down and jerked it up fast, throwing Ilene straight up and down. "Agh!" Ilene screeched, putting her arms back and trying to hold onto her own dress collar for support.

"Alright Alright I'm sorry I'm sorry!" Merida shouted. "I'll go that way, if it's what ye want me to do!"

Yarik stopped, and nodded his head. Merida turned her gaze to Ilene, whose face was white with terror. "Don't do that again, okay?" she asked. She was on the verge of tears again, and Merida couldn't bear seeing her so scared.

"Very well, we'll go this way." Merida sighed, shooting Yarik a look of daggers.

He waited for her to take the lead, and Merida begrudgingly did so. She had always hated being told what to do, and Yarik was no exception.

* * *

Yarik found carrying a child in his jaws a tiring job, but it did do the trick for keeping the redhead in her place. Merida dared not anger him, which pleased him greatly. And Ilene? It was obvious she hated every second she spent hanging off her feet, and that pleased him even more. He planned on killing Ilene when he became a man again, but for now he enjoyed tormenting her, toying with her emotions. He figured she knew that's what he was doing, but considering he was three feet taller than her and thousands of pounds bigger, she couldn't do a thing about it. Yet in other ways, this was maddening. All he had to do was throw his head back and open his mouth, and she'd be no more. _Why _wasn't he doing that? Why wasn't he finishing her off, like he swore he'd do? Because he needed her to keep the older girl in her place. He knew that if he killed her now, Merida would become unmanageable, probably choosing death over helping him. And he didn't see any way to break this spell without her. Oh, he knew there was one other way to break the spell, but every time he thought about it, the more and more he rejected the thought. He would never, _ever, _apologize to Ilene.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that's what the witch was telling him. To change his fate, he must first change himself. He was who he chose to be. And he had chosen the path of darkness. If he would only ask for Ilene's forgiveness, asking her to forgive him for what he'd done to her and her family, he knew he would change back. But he would not. He couldn't. Besides, he didn't even _feel _sorry, but more like enraged. He only wanted to change back into a man so he could kill her anyways, and so he doubted a fake apology would take care of that. Besides, his pride would never let him stoop that low, even if it was fake.

The child he was carrying now was responsible for turning him into this beast. If it hadn't been for her and how she'd managed to escape him in England, he would not have followed her back into Scotland and asked for the strength of ten men from the witch. She was a Petrov. She was from a line that had been his family's sworn enemy for a hundred and seventy years. If he didn't kill her, he would never be allowed back to Russia. _She _was the reason he hadn't gone back, for he knew that if his family ever found out that he'd let one Petrov survive, they would cast him out.

It had been fourteen years since he'd been in his homeland, and he wanted to go back. He hated the English, the Scots, the Germans, the French, and the Italians. He hated their lands, their traditions, their ways. He wanted to go home, he wanted to return to Russia, where he belonged. No more speaking English or Gaelic to communicate, in Russia everyone spoke his native language, _Russian. _Oh, the mere thought of home was enough to awaken even his dark and cold heart and stir up longing in it. He hadn't seen his mother nor his brothers in fourteen years. He hadn't seen his cousins, his aunts and uncles, his nephews and nieces, his _clan _in that amount of time. And if he wanted to go home, he had to complete the two tasks ahead.

He had to turn back into a man, and kill Tonya Petrov. Then at last he could return, and no longer would he have to wander aimlessly, awaiting his chance to finish his job. His father would be proud of him, he knew, and so would all of his ancestors.

"Yarik?" Came the timid voice of the child who referred to herself as Ilene, though her real name was Tonya. Yarik rolled his eyes and growled deeply; annoyed she'd interrupted his train of thought. "Y-Yarik? Can I _please _walk now?" she begged. Yarik looked down his nose, only seeing the head of blond hair. He could just imagine her face though, no doubt trying to look as pitiful as possible. He shook his head, swinging her around. "Oh Yarik, _please_?" she whined. He snarled, and she quickly said, "Okay never mind!"

The redhead turned back from the path she was on and shouted, "Ye better be leaving her alone, Yarik! If ye do anything to her I won't help ye!"

_As if you even controlled the situation. _He grunted. He wondered if she had figured out that he was trying to get her to find the witch's cottage. If they could force the witch to make another spell that would change him back, then he wouldn't have to worry about the spell breaker.

Yarik glanced up at the sky, noting that it would be dark soon. He began to jog up the path, Ilene bouncing crazily along. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa please stop please stop!" she squealed, flailing her arms everywhere. She accidentally struck him on the nose, and with a roar he dropped her on the ground and leapt right above her. "I'm sorry! It was an accident!" she cried, flattening herself against the snow as she met his gaze. He barred his teeth threateningly.

"Yarik!" Merida hollered. He glanced at her. "It was an accident! Surely ye now that!"

_Don't mess with me, girl. _He growled. He turned his gaze back to Ilene, who was panting. "I'm sorry." She said weakly. "It was an accident."

He knew it was, but he didn't want them to forget _he _was in charge. He snorted, and with a quick movement of his paw turned Ilene over onto her back. He grabbed her collar with his teeth once more, and picked her back up. Ilene groaned.

"Is that really necessary?" Merida snapped. "I'm not going anywhere." Yarik leveled his eyes at her, and gave Ilene a slight jerk. "Fine." Merida muttered. She glanced at Ilene. "How are ye doin' Ilene?" she asked.

Ilene gestured to her chest and stomach. "My cuts are sore." She stated stiffly. Merida gasped, for the first time seeing the blood stains on her sister's dress. Yarik had dug his claws deeper into her than she'd realized. "Ilene!" Merida cried, starting to run over.

Yarik took this as a threat and swiped his paw under her feet, knocking Merida over. "Oh ye dumb animal!" Merida yelled, picking herself up. "Me sister is _hurt_! Ye hurt her! Do you really think I'm going to attack ye when ye can hurt her even _more_?"

Yarik gave a low rumble in his throat, warning her not to come any closer to him and his captive.

"Merida, I'll be alright." Ilene assured, grimacing as Yarik breathed down her neck. "Let's not make the situation any worse than it is."

_Wise words, Tonya. Wise words. _Yarik thought. Merida sighed and turned around once more.

"If ye don't mind me asking, _Yarik_," Merida spat as she walked ahead, Yarik following as he continued to carry Ilene, "Where exactly are we going?"

Yarik grunted. _Do you really think I can answer that? _

"Sorry, I don't speak tiger." Merida sniffed.

Yarik only growled.

* * *

"Ye know Yarik, I am really, really, _really _annoyed with ye." Ilene told the tiger as they continued on through the forest. They must have been traveling for at least five hours, and the sky was nearly dark. "Though I realize now, that since ye insist on carryin' me, ye actually saved me from getting tired. So thank ye."

Yarik shook her around to tell her to be quiet, and Ilene moaned. "Why doesn't that _ever _work?" she mumbled. "Mum says reverse psychology works wonders on negative people."

"Except Mum never tried it on a tiger, Ilene." Merida muttered. Her legs were tired, and it was almost too dark to see where she was going. "Yarik, how much farther do ye plan on driving us?"

Yarik didn't make a sound, only pushed Merida ahead with his paw. She glared at him, and a small grin came across his face.

Merida turned back to the trail ahead-and stopped. "Wait a second." She said slowly. She scanned the woods. "I know this place." She turned back to Yarik. "Ye want us to go to the witch's cottage!" she exclaimed.

Yarik nodded; pleased she'd finally figured it out.

"Wonderful!" Ilene said sarcastically. "Do ye really think that cantankerous ol' witch is just going to _hand _you a spell breaker?"

"I think that's where you come in, Ilene." Merida told her. Ilene cringed.

"Hostage." She whined. "Hostage to a Russian tiger!"

Merida ducked under a large branch, heading in the direction she was sure was the witch's cottage. Yarik paused, glanced the branch over, than leapt over it. "Iyeeee!" Ilene squealed, swinging right into Yarik's chest. He tossed his head but didn't growl, knowing that wasn't her fault. "Oye! I hope me horse _never _jumps that high!"

Merida actually laughed in spite of herself. Typical Ilene, she always thought of something completely off subject to say, no matter what the situation.

Merida climbed over a small hill, and right below was the witch's cottage. "We're here!" she announced, racing down the hill. The white tiger and the blond girl he held in his teeth came down after her just as she knocked on the door.

The door creaked open, and there stood the witch. "Did ye come back to buy something?" she asked.

Yarik took one look at the woman, and even though he still held Ilene's dress collar in his teeth, he roared angrily.

"Oh. You."

* * *

_So Yarik thinks he can just get a different spell breaker from the witch, and is going to threaten Ilene and Merida to get it! Will he succeed? Will the witch give it to him or will she not and he'll kill the girls? Find out in the next chapter!_

_Please review, and enjoy your weekend!  
_

_-Shire  
_


	10. You Are Who You Choose to Be

_Well hello everyone. :)  
_

_I really, REALLY should not be posting this next chapter, because I've only seen ONE review on the previous one, but...due to questions from the 'friend' (who is reading this right now and should be reviewing, huh, T.E.M? ;D) I am posting this next chapter. Thanks to Synchronized Harmony for the review on the last chapter, I really, really appreciate it! (Hint hint, T.E.M.) :D :D :D :D  
_

_So here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reading and please, please, PLEASE review! Pretty please? :D I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I would really appreciate it. :)  
_

_-Shire  
_

* * *

_Chapter Ten_

You Are Who You Choose To Be

"I see you found your tiger friend." The witch said, eying Yarik as he growled at her. Ilene nervously hung from his mouth, hoping that Yarik didn't do anything rash.

Merida gestured at the beast. "He wants a spell breaker." She explained to the witch.

"I gave him one." She replied, crossing her arms. "He can use it."

Yarik glanced at Merida, giving her a warning look. _Try harder or your sister will pay for it. _He seemed to be saying.

"Ye don't understand!" Merida said desperately. "He wants ye to _make _him a spell breaker. He doesn't want the verbal one!"

The witch shrugged. "Sorry, can't do it."

"No wait!" Merida cried, grabbing the witch by the arm. "If ye don't, he's going to kill me sister!"

As if to prove this, Yarik put down the young girl and placed his teeth around her neck, growling menacingly. Ilene whimpered, but remained still.

"Nope, no can do."

Merida gasped. "How can ye be so heartless? He's _going to kill me sister if ye don't help him_!"

The witch sighed. "Sorry, rules are rules. I can't make him a spell breaker. He has to use the one I gave him."

Merida whirled around and threw herself in front of Yarik, placing her hands together. "Yarik, _please_, don't kill her." She begged. Yarik glanced at her, yet kept his teeth on Ilene's neck. Ilene lay stock still, breath heavy as she kept her eyes tightly shut. She expected him to kill her.

Merida turned back the witch, tears falling from her eyes as her voice grew panicky. "Please, please, help me." She cried. "He is going to kill her."

The witch looked over at Ilene, the great white tiger ready to close his jaws and kill her. "You, young man, should be ashamed of yourself." She said sternly. Yarik merly snarled, placing a paw on Ilene's back and pressing down.

Ilene gasped, her eyes flying open as she coughed. She dug her hands into the snow, and Merida realized she was choking.

"Yarik, she can't breathe!" Merida screeched. "Yer killing her!"

He continued to do it anyways. Merida turned on the witch so fiercely that the witch actually stepped back. "Save me sister, _now_!" she commanded.

The witch glanced once more at the young girl, who was on the verge of unconsciousness. "Very well." She said at long last.

Yarik instantly withdrew himself from Ilene, and Merida rushed over, helping her sister sit up. Ilene was crying and coughing, gulping in air.

"I'm here Ilene, I'm here." Merida said, grabbing the blond girl and holding her tight. She glared up at Yarik, who narrowed his eyes at her. He then turned to the witch.

The witch had already returned back into her cottage, and was mixing something even as they spoke. Yarik walked up to the door, peering inside and watching her work.

It was then that Merida realized he was not watching.

"Ilene." Merida hissed in Ilene's ear, who was still crying. "Do ye think ye can run?"

"What?" Ilene asked, wiping the tears from her eyes. Merida shushed her, and glanced back at the great tiger. He wasn't paying attention.

"Do ye think ye can run?" Merida whispered. Ilene's eyes grew wide as the sun, and she glanced at Yarik.

"Do ye think we can do it?" she asked quietly. Merida nodded. "Then I will do whatever it takes."

* * *

Yarik watched the witch throw in several ingredients into her pot, humming to herself as she worked. So this was it. He would get the spell breaker after all.

The witch began to stir the mixture, and Yarik, remembering last time, covered his eyes with his paw as the mixture blew up in an explosion of color and light.

"Ah, here you go!" the witch exclaimed gleefully, pulling out a Russian tea cake. "This should do the trick!"

She threw the cake at Yarik's face, and he leapt back with a roar. He snarled at the witch, then stared at the tea cake at his feet. He eyed the witch warily.

"Go ahead! Believe me, that will change you to what you've chosen." She told him.

Yarik bent his head down and in one bite swallowed the tea cake whole. Instantly his mouth began to feel tingly, and he felt change coming over him. He jerked his head out of the cottage and groaned, falling over on his side. _I am changing back! _He thought sleepily, rolling over with a low growl. He felt just like he had before, when he'd first changed into the tiger.

His head began to whirl, and he felt sick. But he knew this was for the best. And suddenly, it was over.

Yarik opened his eyes. He felt a little dizzy still, but not too bad. With a grin, he put his hand out-and jumped back in surprise. It wasn't a hand. It was still a _white paw_!  
He roared in anger, and turned towards the witch. "What have you done to me!" he shouted, and he realized in surprise he'd just talked.

"I gave you a spell breaker." She told him simply.

Yarik looked down at his paws, and growled. "I'm still a tiger."

The witch shrugged. "You wanted a spell breaker, and I gave it to you. It was you who just sealed your fate."

"Meaning?" he growled.

"You are what you choose to be. And you have chosen to be a tiger for the rest of your days. You will still be able to talk like a man, and you will still think like a man, but you shall forever be a feline, a beast, a monster. You chose not to change your heart; you chose not to ask for forgiveness. And so, in attempting to change back without changing yourself, you've chosen to stay a tiger."

Yarik stared at the witch, than back at his paws. _Forever a tiger. Forever a tiger. _He screamed, enraged, and turned towards the witch to kill her. He stopped, finding he was in the Ring of Stones alone. _Alone. _Suddenly he whirled around, and with a cry of anger he realized that his captives were no longer there.

* * *

"Hurry Ilene, hurry!" Merida urged, pulling Ilene along. Ilene was panting and gasping, her hand to her chest as she tried to run with Merida. Even though she'd hardly walked that day, she was exhausted, the tension of their journey taking its toll on her. "Come on Ilene!" Merida begged, stopping as Ilene began to pull back.

"I can't run anymore, Merida." Ilene groaned, and slumped to the ground. "I hurt, I hurt everywhere. Go home without me."

"No!" Merida said firmly, grabbing Ilene by the arm and pulling her up. She put Ilene's arm around her neck and she helped her along. "I am not leaving ye, Ilene. We're in this together."

It was then that they heard the roar of a very, _very _angry tiger.

The girls froze, and then in sync took off running, Merida pulling Ilene along and Ilene doing her best to keep up. "He's still a tiger!" Ilene exclaimed as they ran through the snow, heading in the direction they knew was home. This part of the woods they were familiar with, and their hearts soared at the thought that they were only twenty minutes away.

"Aye! I wonder why?" Merida murmured, pulling Ilene along as they struggled through the drifts.

"Perhaps the witch stalled so we could escape!" Ilene panted, beginning to slow down once more. "Maybe, maybe she didn't give him the spell breaker, but something else."

Merida didn't want to wonder. "Come on Ilene, stop talking and _run_!" she urged.

Ilene tried, she really tried, but she was worn out. She only ran for another five steps before she stopped again. "Merida, I can walk, but I can't run."

"Then walk as fast as ye can!"

Ilene nodded, and walked briskly through the snow after Merida. Merida glanced at the sword strapped to Ilene, and put her hand out. "Give me yer sword, Ilene."

Ilene stopped, and looked down at the sword. With a sigh she pulled it out, knowing that she was not strong enough to use it. Before she could hand it to Merida though, a giant creature leapt at her from behind.

"Ilene!" Merida shrieked, and Ilene whirled around, brandishing the weapon in the white tiger's face. Yarik growled, his blue eyes showing his anger.

"I pity you, Tonya!" he snarled, striking the sword out of her hand with one blow. Ilene and Merida's eyes widened.

"Yarik! Ye, ye talk!" Ilene stammered.

Yarik rose up and roared furiously, and came crashing down onto his fours again. "That witch has turned me forever into a tiger!" he spat. "I shall always, _always_ be a tiger, Tonya! And it is _your _fault!"

He pounced at her, and Ilene threw herself out of his way. She scrambled to get up, but he swiped her up with his paw, throwing her against a tree. Ilene fell against the tree and fell face first into the snow, knocked unconscious.

Merida cried out in anger, and grabbed up Ilene's sword. She ran towards the tiger, swinging it over her head, momentarily distracting him from Ilene. He charged her, and Merida thrust the sword into his outstretched paw. He screeched, pulling his paw back in pain from the blade Merida held. He set it in the snow and picked it back up again, a large red stain in the white powder where his paw had been.

"_You_!" he hissed, and attacked.

Yarik jumped forward and bit the sword in half. Merida stepped back in terror, now without a weapon. Yarik shoved her onto her back with his paw, and then extended his claws to deliver a blow he knew she wouldn't recover from.

Merida covered her face and screamed as Yarik brought his paw down. But it didn't make contact.

Merida opened one eye to see a man standing in front of her, a large sword in his hand, aimed at the large tiger. He shouted something in a strange tongue Merida had never heard before, and the tiger backed up.

* * *

Yarik stared at the man and stepped back, believing his eyes were playing tricks on him. "It can't be." He whispered in Russian. "You-it-this is impossible."

The man slashed his sword at Yarik, and Yarik barely leapt out of the way as the blade narrowly missed him. "Believe it, Yarik."

* * *

Merida watched in horror as the tiger screamed in anger, throwing himself at her rescuer. The man dodged Yarik's flailing paws, and tried to jab the sword at the beast's belly. But Yarik dodged him, and struck his paw out at him, his razor sharp claws nearly making contact with the man's head. But luckily he ducked in the nick of time, and leapt back.

"Run, child!" the stranger shouted.

Merida jumped into action, running to where Ilene lay unconscious. She dragged the girl out of the fight area as the man continued to fight the tiger.

"Leave Tonya! I'll take care of her!" he called out. "_RUN_!"

"I will not leave me sister!" Merida protested, pulling Ilene along.

Yarik saw this as his golden opportunity, and he bounded towards the redhead girl. Merida froze as he leapt in the air, not aiming for her but for _Ilene_.

He was thrown off balance as the sword came sailing through the air and embedded itself in his hide. Yarik screamed and fell to his side, pawing the air as he thrashed in pain.

The man rushed over to Merida, and picked up Ilene in his arms. "Run!" he urged, and Merida didn't need a second invitation. Together the stranger and the princess ran through the forest as Yarik roared like he had never roared before. He wasn't angry anymore. He was _furious._

* * *

_Aha! Suspense! What's going to happen next? *unknown reader gasps* "I don't know? What?" *writer grins evilly* "review, and you'll find out!" *unknown reader falls over in a faint*  
_

_Okay, perhaps it wasn't that great of a chapter, but I liked it. There's a huge hint in here as to what's coming up next. :) We'll see if you caught it.  
_

_Please review and thank you!  
_

_-Shire  
_


	11. Back to the Castle

_"Master, I am back!" yep, I'm back with another chapter! :D Thanks to Synchronized Harmony and Sha28 for the reviews, you make me very happy! :D  
_

_So here's the next chapter everyone, thank you for reading and please review! Thank you!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter Eleven_

Back to the Castle

Ilene still hadn't regained consciousness by the time they reached the castle. The stranger followed Merida through the courtyard and into the servants quarters, up the stairs and into the kitchen.

Elinor and Fergus were there, and Elinor was crying. Fergus was comforting her, and the triplets were nowhere to be seen.

"Mum! Dad!" Merida cried, racing into the room and to her parents.

"Merida!" they exclaimed, leaping up and hugging their daughter. Then they saw the stranger, who walked in with Ilene in his arms.

"Ilene!" Elinor screeched, running to the stranger. "Oh, me poor child! Is she alright?"

"She needs attending to right away." The man explained in his strange accent. "Is there somewhere where I can set her?"

"Yes! I'll take her to our room!" Fergus exclaimed, coming forward and putting his hands out. The stranger hesitated, glancing down at the child. Then he slowly handed her over to Fergus. Fergus turned and went up the stairs with Elinor and Merida following, leaving the stranger alone in the dining room.

He watched them until he could no longer see them, then he sat down in a chair and sighed deeply. _Will she recognize me? _

* * *

Yarik jerked the sword out of his side, releasing a torrent of blood onto his snow-white coat. He howled in pain, and rolled into the snow. Years of living in the harsh climate of Russia had taught him that the cold stopped the bleeding.

As he lay there, his mind raced at what he'd just beheld. _It's impossible. How could he have come back? He can't come back! I killed him myself! I I saw him fall over, dead! _And yet he had just pierced him with a sword twenty-five minutes ago. It made no sense! Yarik had done it himself, he had seen him fall to the ground without a sound, clutching his side as blood spilled from the wound Yarik had delivered. How could he have survived? _Lord Edward. _Yarik growled and then roared, cursing the day Lord Edward had been born.

* * *

_Ilene, oh Ilene! Come back to me! _Ilene stepped away, afraid. _Papa. _She said, her voice trembling. _Why did you leave me?_

Suddenly a flash of black and white appeared from nowhere, and a tiger jumped at her father. Ilene screamed, convinced the tiger had just kill her father. But it was not so.

A wolf stood in the place where her father had been, a giant white wolf. It howled, and then leapt out of the way as the white tiger attempted to kill it.

_Remember, things aren't always what they seem. _A voice echoed in the forest as the wolf and tiger circled each other, lunging and biting at each other. _There is a reason for everything._

Suddenly the tiger turned away from the wolf, and seeing Ilene, pounced on her. _Your fault! _He screamed as he jumped onto her. Ilene screeched, _No!_

* * *

"NO!" Ilene screamed, thrashing around. "No! Help me! Someone help me!"

Elinor lifted up her head and jumped up, coming towards the bed. "Ilene, Ilene!" she soothed, stroking Ilene's hair.

Ilene's eyes fluttered open, her vision blurred. "_Papa_? _to, chto vy_?" Ilene asked weakly.

Elinor was taken aback by the strange tongue Ilene was speaking, but knew this was no time for questions. "Ilene, it's me, yer Mum."

Ilene blinked, and her vision cleared. "Mum!" she cried, and Elinor hugged the girl.

"There there Ilene, it's alright. It was just a nightmare." She told her, rocking the thirteen-year-old girl back and forth. Ilene buried her face in Elinor's shoulder and cried.

"He killed me _papa_, Mum. He killed him!" Ilene sobbed, clinging to Elinor.

"It was just a nightmare, Ilene. It's alright, me wee lassie."

Ilene shook her head. "No. As long as he's alive, he will hunt me down until he kills me."

Elinor need not ask who she was talking about-she already knew.

* * *

When Ilene awoke the next morning, she found Merida sitting at the edge of the bed, her head on Ilene's covers as she slept.

At first Ilene was alarmed, finding herself in Elinor and Fergus's bed. The only time she had ever slept in their room was when she had broken her arm, and the doctor had advised she rest in a quiet place. Obviously Ilene and Merida's room was anything but quiet, so Fergus and Elinor had moved her into their room.

It took a while, but gradually Ilene remembered what happened. The last thing she remembered was the great beast leaping at her.

Ilene cringed and shuddered, and glanced back at Merida again. _Did she stay up with me all night? _She wondered. No, Elinor had been in there in the wee hours of the morning. Merida must have switched out with Elinor to watch over Ilene.

It warmed her heart to think that both her adopted Mum and sister cared so much for her, and Ilene smiled. She placed her hand on Merida's wavy red hair, and said softly, "Merida?"

Merida lifted her head, her eyes still with sleep. Ilene was sitting up and looking at her. _Why am I sitting down? _Merida thought groggily. Then she remembered.

"Oh! Ilene!" Merida exclaimed, sitting upright. "How are ye feeling?"

Ilene nodded. "Fine." She answered. "How long have ye been lyin' there?"

"Uhh…"

Ilene giggled. "Thank ye, Merida, for sitting up with me. That means a lot to me." Ilene's smile turned into a frown quickly though, and Merida wondered what's wrong.

"Ilene, is everything alright?" she asked.

"Merida, ye didn't carry me back to the castle on yer own, did yah?" Ilene asked.

"Goodness no! A stranger came and helped me, and he brought you the whole way." Merida explained. "I would never have been able to do it on me own."

"What-what happened to Yarik?"

Merida shrugged. "I dunno. I know that our rescuer threw a sword at his side, and Yarik fell back and didn't chase us."

"Do ye think he's dead?" Ilene whispered hopefully. Merida shook her head.

"No, I don't believe so. I know he's injured, but he's not dead. He roared when we ran off. It was enough to make yer blood run cold, his screams were so terrible. He was angry."

"I believe it." Ilene murmured. She slid the blankets off and jumped onto the floor, shooting her hand out to the bed post to steady herself. "Oye, I'm dizzy."

Merida stood up, and gestured towards the bed. "Perhaps ye should stay in bed, Ilene." Merida suggested.

"No, I want to go downstairs." Ilene stated firmly, letting go of the bed frame. "'Sides, the dizziness is almost gone."

Ilene walked unsteadily past Merida, pausing to steady herself at the door. "Ilene, are ye sure yer alright to go downstairs?" Merida questioned, following Ilene to the door.

"Aye, I'm fine. Though my stomach and chest hurt somethin' awful." Ilene grimaced, rubbing the spot.

"He dug his claws into yah deeper than I thought." Merida told her as they made their way to the staircase. "I'm sorry Ilene, I hadn't realized how much he'd hurt ye."

"That's alright. I hadn't realized it until later, too. I guess me fear worked as an antidote for the pain." Ilene assured her as they descended the staircase and made their way to the dining room.

They walked in on the family eating together, and the triplets were the first one to see the girls. Without a word the boys leapt up and ran towards Ilene and Merida, hugging Ilene. "Hi boys." Ilene greeted with a smile.

"Ilene!" Elinor exclaimed, standing. "Are ye feeling better? Are ye sure ye should be out of bed? Are ye alright? Ye need to sit down."

Despite Ilene's weak protests, Elinor took hold of Ilene and guided her to a chair, beckoning her to sit down. "I'm alright Mum, I mean it." She assured the queen.

"Ye gave us all quite a scare, Ilene." Fergus told her. "We were afraid we lost ye."

"I'm sorry Dad." Ilene said with a sigh as Elinor set in front of her a bowl of eggs. "Oye! Was I ever so foolish as to go into the woods to find that tiger."

"Ye can say that again, young lady." Elinor scolded sternly, seating herself in her place. Merida took her seat next to Ilene, and helped herself to some pastries. "I thought for sure I'd lost you both, when I discovered ye'd taken off into the forest alone. And then when the horses came back without ye! I thought I'd have a heart attack! What were ye thinkin' Ilene? How could ye do this to me and yer Dad?"

Ilene looked down guiltily into her bowl of eggs. "I'm sorry Mum." She managed. "I had to know. I kept getting this feeling I knew this beast, that I'd met him before. I had to know who it was. Turned out I was right, I _had _met him before." Ilene looked up, and nodded to Merida. "I'm sure Merida told ye who it was?"

Fergus nodded. "Yarik Collinste."

"Kolinsky." Ilene corrected. She stopped though, realizing she had an echo.

Elinor stood up, and gestured to an empty seat. "Please, eat breakfast with us." she said to someone behind Ilene. "Ye are welcome at our table anytime, after ye saved our daughters last night."

_Ah, it must be our rescuer. _Ilene thought.

"S_pasibo_, thank you, m'lady. I am wery appreciative of you." The man replied in a thick accent. Ilene froze, jerking her head up at the sound of his voice.

Merida noticed, and noted that Ilene's face had turned white. "Ilene, are ye alright?" Merida asked, concerned.

Ilene didn't answer as she stood up slowly, and just as slowly turned to face the man who had saved her last night. He met her gaze, and her heart skipped a beat as she realized it was he.

"Papa!"

* * *

_WHAT? But Ilene's father is dead! Right? Maybe not!_

_Okay, I use a couple Russian words in this chapter, and I will use more in the future. But don't worry, I'll always explain what they mean.  
_

**___to, chto vy _**___means in Russian **Is that you? **I have refrained from using the original Russian alphabet because the Russian language is not Latin based, and therefore no one would understand what the words mean unless you spoke the language. So using the English alphabet, **To, chto vy **is how you'd spell **Is that you**__in Russian._

**_S__pasibo _**___means **Thank you. **_

___Oh, and in Russia you call your parents **Batya (Papa, or Father) **and **Matushka (Mother, or Mama)**  
____Though for the sake of the story Ilene is just going to refer to her father as Papa. :)  
______And one last thing, Russians don't say 'V' (at least all the ones I know don't) they say 'W'. So when you see 'Spasibo Wery much.' it's because with a Russian accent you can't say 'V.' Hope that explains that to you all. :D  
______Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review! Thank you!  
______-Shire  
_


	12. Another Petrov

_Well I'm back! Thank you Sha28 and Synchronized Harmony for the reviews! You keep me posting this story! :D And I'm so glad you're enjoying it!  
_

_This is another slow chapter, but there's a reason for that. The next couple are fast paced, so I need to balance the story with some slow explanation chapters. I'm sure you writers understand that. :D  
_

_So thanks for reading, please review and I look forward to hearing from you all!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter twelve_

Another Petrov

Merida watched in shock as Ilene raced over to the man, engulfing him in a hug. "Oh, Papa!" She cried.

_That's impossible, he's dead. _Merida thought, embarrassed her sister was acting the way she was. She was more traumatized then she had thought. But the stranger didn't react the way he should have. He _hugged her back._

The man stroked Ilene's hair, tears coming to his eyes as he held the girl tight. "Tonya, Tonya. My _dochʹ_, my child." He murmured, rocking her gently. Ilene began to cry, and the man sat down in the middle of the floor, setting Ilene in his lap and hugging her. Ilene buried her face in his shirt, sobbing and holding him.

An awkward silence settled on the DunBroch family as they watched the reunion. Merida's heart had nearly stopped as she watched the man hold Ilene lovingly, tears rolling down his eyes as he said over and over again, "My _doch'_, you've come back to me."

"Why didn't ye come for me?" Ilene sniffed. "Why didn't yah tell me ye was alive?"

Merida suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, and Elinor was looking down at her. There were tears in her eyes too, and she silently beckoned Merida to follow her out of the room. Merida hesitated, and then slowly walked away with her Mum, glancing back over her shoulder as Ilene and the man she called her father continued to hug each other and cry softly. The whole DunBroch family cleared out of the room to give father and daughter some time alone.

* * *

It was quite a while later when Ilene walked out of the castle to the stalls, where Merida was cleaning out Angus's stall.

"Merida?" she called, jogging over to the redhead.

"Ilene." Merida nodded, pitching some manure into a bucket.

Ilene stopped, watching Merida work. Merida glanced at Ilene's face, noting that it was still red from crying. She then turned back to her work and continued on, forking the bad bedding and waste into the bucket.

"Merida." Ilene said quietly. "Yer not mad, are ye?"

Merida was taken aback by this question. "Mad!" she exclaimed, tossing some more manure into the bucket. "Why would I be mad? Ye just found yer father, Ilene! I'm-I'm happy for ye!"

Ilene unlatched the stall and entered, locking it behind her and seating herself on Angus's feed trough. "I can't believe he's alive." She whispered. "I just can't get over that he's _still_ alive. I remember seeing him get struck down by Yarik."

"I know. I can't believe it either." Merida muttered. "Did he happen to tell ye how he survived?"

Ilene nodded. "Lord Edward."

Merida whirled around to face Ilene. "But Lord Edward said he was dead!"

"He told me that to protect me. Papa told Lord Edward he didn't want me to know he was still alive, for he feared that once I knew Yarik would catch wind of it and kidnap me, using me to get Papa."

"But Yarik was already out to kill ye in the first place, remember?" Merida pointed out, resting on her pitchfork.

"Aye, but if Yarik knew that Papa was alive, he would not only kidnap me to kill me, but he'd kill me in the worst way possible to get revenge on Papa. He didn't want Yarik to hurt me, so he made Lord Edward promise not to tell me he was alive."

"How did he survive? And what does Lord Edward have to do with this whole story?" Merida queried, sitting down on the trough with Ilene.

"When Yarik killed me Mama, he also struck down Papa too." She explained. "He then heard someone coming, and raced out of the cabin in fear of his life. A villager who wanted to buy something of me parents had come a visiting, and when he saw Mamma and Papa, he checked to see if there was any chance they might be alive. Me Mamma was dead, but Papa was still holding on to life by a thread. The man quickly got help, and several of them carried him to the nearest doctor. I had apparently remained silent the whole time they were there, so they hadn't realized there was a child in the cabin. Then, when some looters were scourging the cabin, apparently I started crying. One of the men decided to take me back to the village, but on his way learned that Fergus had taken over. He then left me in the forest, deciding to go for his wares instead. And you've heard the rest of my story."

"Aye, I have. But what about yer Dad? What happened with him?"

"Lord Edward found out Papa was still alive, and went to him. The doctor said Papa would survive, though he wouldn't be able to get up for several months. He also would have a large scar for the rest of his life, which he showed to me." Ilene shuddered, then continued on. "Lord Edward told Papa that Yarik hadn't found me, and that I was currently with the King of Scotland. 'let her remain with him.' Papa told him. 'If Yarik finds out that I have a child, he'll kill her. Make up something, tell the King that you couldn't find the family or something of the sort. I don't care what you tell him, but make sure he brings Tonya back to Scotland. If he decides to adopt her, tell him to never tell her she's adopted. Tonya is entitled to some happiness, she doesn't need to know about any of this.' Lord Edward then asked him, 'But what about you? Don't you want your own daughter?' Papa of course said, 'Of course I want my daughter! But if Yarik figures out I'm alive, he'll hunt me down until he finds me and kills me. And I will not make Tonya live a life of a fugitive, always hiding and running. This will be better for her. She will forget, and she will live a normal life like a child should.'"

"And so, when Papa got better, he found out that Yarik knew there was still one Petrov that had survived. So for twelve years, he laid down false trails to lead Yarik in circles, trying to keep him away from me. And Yarik never found out he survived. But then Yarik happened upon a piece of information from who knows where that I was living as a princess in Scotland. Of course that led to him sending the message in Lord Edward's name, and we both know what came next."

Merida nodded. She knew all too well. And now all of that had led to _this_. Yarik was a tiger, and Ilene's father had made himself known.

"It must be odd to suddenly have a father again." Merida commented. Ilene sighed.

"Aye, it is. But strangely enough, I-I always wondered if perhaps me Mama or Papa had survived."

Merida could understand that. If she were in Ilene's situation, she would have found herself wondering the same thing. "Where's yer Dad now?" She asked.

"Talking to…" Ilene trailed off, thinking about what she was going to say. "Talking to Mum and Dad." She finished. As if the words were strange in her mouth, she murmured to herself, "Papa's talking to _yer_ Mum and Dad right now."

"And here's a question for ye, why do you suddenly refer to him as Papa?" Merida asked, trying to ignore the obvious fact that because Ilene's Dad had returned, Fergus and Elinor would no longer serve in the position of parents for Ilene.

"In me home country, Papa is what ye called yer Dad." Ilene explained.

"How do ye know that?"

"I dunno. I just do. No doubt it's something I've held onto from me childhood."

The girls sat in quiet for a while, pondering on their own thoughts. Merida figured Ilene was thinking about how wonderful that her father had returned, but Merida was dwelling on something else. It had popped into her mind as soon as she realized that the stranger really _was _Ilene's Dad, and it had stayed with her since. If Ilene had a 'Papa', wouldn't he want her to live with him? And how could Ilene say no to her own father? Merida had to face the fact that there was a _very _good possibility that she was going to lose the only sister she had ever had to a complete stranger.

* * *

Yarik opened his eyes, surprised he'd fallen asleep. The sun had risen high in the sky, and he guessed it was early afternoon.

With a groan the tiger stood up, shaking the snow off his fur. He glanced down at his cut, glad to see it had stopped bleeding and had scabbed over. But the cut reminded him of something he'd finally sorted out last night. Timofey was alive. And he now had _two _Petrovs left to kill.

Just the reminder of this fact caused him to roar angrily. It was _their _fault that he wasn't back in Russia, it was _their _fault that he was a tiger, and it was _their _fault he'd stay a tiger for the rest of his life!

_I don't know how you survived, Timofey, but mark my words, you'll pay. _He growled between gritted teeth. _You'll PAY_!

And what was the best way to take revenge against an adversary? Why, hitting a mark close to home of course. And that mark happened to be in the form of a young blond girl who was right now in the castle of Fergus DunBroch.

Yarik considered this fact. If he wanted to get to Timofey, it was obvious the way to him was through Tonya, or Ilene, as the Scots called her. But he didn't want to just kill her. He wanted to toy with her, to torture her, to make her scream and cry and beg for mercy. And _then _he'd kill her. To just kill her right off would be too merciful, and Yarik was done with mercy. He would have his revenge, and he would have it served cold. But how would he get to Tonya, if she was in the castle of the Scottish King?

Yarik laughed bitterly. _He _knew how he would do it. And if he succeeded, it would bring Timofey right to him. And then he'd kill both the father and the daughter, ridding himself once and for all of his despised enemies.

* * *

_Oh no! What has Yarik got up his sleeve (ahm, sorry, fur) now? _

_Only one Russian word in this chapter. As I'm sure you figured out, **Doch' **means daughter in Russian. Let me give you an example of the original Russian spelling of the word. **дочь. **So as you can see, there is a reason I spell these words using the English alphabet instead of the Russian alphabet, otherwise you'd never understand what Timofey or Yarik were saying. :D  
_

_Thanks for reading and please review! Thank you!_

_-Shire  
_


	13. Castle Break-In

_Okidoki everyone! Here's the next chapter! Thanks to Synchronized Harmony and Sha28 for the reviews, I appreciate it!_

_Oh, and just to let all my readers know, this weekend I may not be able to update right away beause tomorrow (Saturday) is my oldest sister's birthday and Sunday is my seventeenth birthday. :) Yep, one more year and I'm an adult! Scary!_

_Thanks for reading and please review! Thank you!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

* * *

_Chapter thirteen_

Castle Break-in

Ilene was in bed, sent off to her room early by her Papa. He was worried about her health, for she was notably tired all throughout the day from her harrowing experiences the day before. Fergus and Elinor agreed that she needed rest, and so that's why she found herself in her room now, waiting for Merida to go to bed. Currently, Merida, Elinor, Fergus and Timofey were all down stairs, no doubt chatting small talk. It had been quite noticeable that the King and Queen and the Princess were having a hard time talking to Timofey, obviously uncomfortable that this man before them had returned to claim his daughter, who just so happened to be _their _adopted daughter.

Ilene could hear the triplets in the room next to hers and Merida's, noting with a smile that they weren't going to sleep like Elinor had told them to do. They too, had been sent to bed early, probably so they wouldn't play one of their tricks on the DunBroch's special guest. _From the sounds of it, _Ilene thought as she listened to the thumping around in the next room, _it sounds like they're playing war again. _That was probably their favorite thing to play in the whole world. The boys most certainly had inherited their Dad's adventurous spirit, and contentiously were seen fighting each other or wrestling one another. That is, when they weren't too busy working together trying to steal cakes and pastries from the cooks, or causing trouble with the soldiers. It amazed Ilene that Elinor had never caught them in the act of such mischief, then she reminded herself that it was Fergus's job to deal with the boys. Elinor had resigned herself to discipline and train her daughters.

_Daughter. _Ilene thought uncomfortably. How could Ilene play the part of Elinor's daughter now? She was Timofey's daughter, not Elinor and Fergus's daughter. She was a Petrov, not a DunBroch. How could she be both? She couldn't! She couldn't have two different fathers! Perhaps Elinor could still remain her mother, but Fergus _and _Timofey as her fathers? It didn't work! She could only have one father to tell her what to do, and she would have to pick either Fergus or Timofey as the main man of her life.

Ilene couldn't help but smile. She never would have dreamed such a decision would arise. Her Papa was _alive_! He was _alive_, and he was there with her. _Perhaps I should just thank the Lord God above for such a gift, _Ilene decided, _and leave my problems in His hands. _That sounded like a good decision, and Ilene rolled over to get some sleep.

* * *

Yarik stood in the ice-cold water beneath the bridge, staring up at the guards who guarded the gate entrance to the courtyard of the castle. He had been there for the last half hour, and his feet were nearly frozen. But it hadn't all been for naught, for he had finally figured a way to get up there without being seen. Through the well.

* * *

Hamish, Harris and Hubert were in the middle of their play war when Harris heard a noise. He stopped playing, listening for it again. Hamish didn't realize that his brother was no longer playing, and bonked his wooden sword against Harris's head, _hard_.

Harris scowled, and rubbed his head, glaring at Hamish. Hubert put his hand to his mouth in silent laughter, finding the situation funny.

Harris pointed at the window, and the triplets all made their way to it, Hamish and Hubert wondering what their brother had heard. Peering out the window, all they saw was snow. And the guards. And torches. And the well. And the yaks. And the stables. And the-_wait_! There was something _in _the well! The boys all saw it at the same time, and leaned forward to get a better look. Their little hearts beat rapidly as the watched it, wondering what the strange thing was. The top of it came into view, and all they saw was white. Oh, it was only snow.

The triplets came away from the window, disappointed that it had been nothing of importance. They ran to the door to check if their Mum was coming to make sure they were asleep, and finding the coast clear, they quickly picked up their wooden swords to engage in their fake battle once more.

* * *

Yarik struggled out of the shaft of the well, shaking the water off of him as he slinked into the shadows. No one had seen him, a fact he was grateful for. He now stood at the entrance of the castle, looking up at the magnificent stone building. _Impressive. _He thought.

There was no way he was going to walk right in through the front doors, knowing that he would be seen. It would be suicide! No, he couldn't do that.

Yarik gazed up at the rooms near the top of the castle, noting that one of them was lit. _I could climb up there. _He thought. _Find out who's up there, and then enter into one of the darkened rooms. _He glanced down at his feet and extended his razor sharp claws. He was a cat, cats were _known _for climbing up sheer objects. _This should be a cinch._

* * *

Merida sat at the table, listening to Fergus and Timofey exchange hunting stories. "There he was, biggest monster I'd ever seen!" Fergus was saying, using his hands to express himself. "His hide was scarred by the weapons of fallen warriors, and he stared at me with one dead eye. I drew me sword, and _slash! _Me sword was bitten in half! Then _chomp! _Me leg was cut clean off, swallowed by the monster in one gulp. Me men began to create quite the noise, and the beast decided it wasn't worth the fight anymore. So he retreated back into the dark woods, never to be seen or heard of again."

"Until this past year." Elinor reminded her husband with a slight smile.

"Aye, until this last year." Fergus agreed. "But we've finally rid ourselves of that demon bear for good. Elinor killed it with her bare hands."

Timofey's eyes widened, and he glanced at Elinor. "_You _killed a bear?" he asked, his disbelief clearly obvious.

"It's not how it sounds." Elinor laughed, understanding what was no doubt going through the Russian man's mind. "It's a long story. Ye see, Merida was old enough for betrothal…"

Merida tuned out of the conversation, wondering if she should go to bed. Ilene was up there by herself, no doubt willing herself not to fall asleep until Merida had arrived but probably had already given in. She smiled to herself. She knew Ilene's behavior patterns so well she could predict everything her younger sister would do in the first half of her day. But then came days like yesterday, where Ilene went totally against her character and did something crazy.

Merida glanced at Elinor, who was telling about how Merida had beaten the suitors in an archery competition. She had heard this story retold time and time again, and each time she felt ashamed of how childish she'd acted. _I'm sure Mum would be fine if I went off to bed. _Merida thought, waiting for a chance to excuse herself properly. But from how animated Elinor was getting, Merida realized she was probably in for a _long _wait.

* * *

Yarik dug his claws into the wall right outside the lit window, and gazed in. He was disappointed to find that this was not Tonya's room, but noted the three redhead boys none the less. _The King's sons, no doubt. _He thought, watching them whack each other with their wooden swords. Oh, to be a carefree boy again.

Yarik inched himself over to the room next to the prince's room, and studied the window. It was obvious repairs had been made to it recently, and for some reason or another the window had been made larger. _All the more easier to break in. _he thought with a grin. He struck the glass with his paw, and it broke with a tremendous crash.

* * *

Merida jerked her head up, sure she'd just heard something break. Elinor, Fergus and Timofey didn't seem to have heard anything as they laughed about how Fergus and the other Lords nearly strangled each other in an argument. _I must be hearin' things. _She decided. _Or, the triplets knocked something over again. _That was also a very good possibility. She grinned to herself. _If they did, they're going to get it when Mum finds out. _She could only imagine what they'd broken, and she knew whatever it was Elinor would have a fit about it when she found out.

* * *

Yarik cringed, positive someone must have heard the crash. He continued to cling to the wall, waiting for the door to open. But no one came.

Finally he decided he'd waited long enough and he climbed in through the window, avoiding the broken glass best he could. Upon entering he surveyed the room, noting the weapons that stood near the doorway. There were also two beds, and several tapestries hanging from the wall.

As a tiger Yarik could see quite well, what with his night vision and all. And that's how he happened to catch sight of the figure underneath the covers of one of the beds. Someone was in the room.

Yarik crouched down and slinked over to the bed, ready to pounce should the person scream. No sound came though, and he chanced a peak at the figure in the bed. Whoever it was had the blankets completely covering them, and they seemed to be sleeping fairly soundly. _Either this person is knocked out or is one heavy sleeper. _He thought to himself. He glanced around the room, making sure no one was in the second bed. It was just him and this person in the room.

Yarik took a deep breath and reached with his paw, pulling off the covers partially to reveal the sleeper. _Tonya! _

She was fast asleep, her left hand curled around her hair and the other hand flopped over the side of the bed. Yarik couldn't believe his good luck. Not only had he found Ilene, but she was alone, and no one was around! _This is going to be easier than I thought! _

Well, maybe not quite. Now he had to get her out of the castle without her making any noise _and _without being seen. At the same time he had to make it obvious it was _he_ who had spirited the child away right from underneath the noses of the DunBroch's and Petrov, that way Timofey would know that the only way to get her back was to offer himself as an exchange.

Yarik glanced around, and spotted a tapestry. It looked brand-new, and it was a stitchery of the Queen mother and the two princesses. She must have made it right after the girls had returned from England, for she had included the Thoroughbred Ilene had gotten from Lord Edward. This would do.

Yarik made his way to the tapestry, and with one swipe of his paw slashed it down the middle, tearing it in several places. He ran over to another one, one of Merida and Ilene holding hands. He tore this one too, making sure his claw marks were prominent. He then swiped his claws across the floor, wincing as it made a terrible noise. Ilene stirred, but didn't wake. _She must be _really _tired. _He thought.

After tearing several more tapestries and making sure his claw marks were etched into the stone floor, he decided that would be enough for them to know it was him.

Now for part two: _getting _Ilene out of castle without waking her or her making any noise if she did awake.

Yarik slinked over to the bed, eying the blond girl. She had rolled onto her side, still asleep. He extended his paw towards her, slightly amused at how giant it was next to the young girl. Carefully he moved her until she was laying face down on the pillow, her dress collar showing. The tiger had carried her this way before, he could do it again.

Yarik leaned forward, grabbing the back of the dress in his mouth and starting to lift her out of the bed when he froze. The sound of footsteps could be heard heading towards the door, and then a hand on the door knob. Yarik growled. _This can't be good._

* * *

Ilene dreamed she had fallen in the snow, and she was having trouble breathing. For some reason or another she couldn't get up, and it scared her. It felt like a thunderstorm was coming, and she could hear it rumble. She felt the heat of the storm down her neck and back, and she grew more and more scared. The rumbling grew louder, and suddenly the wind from the storm pushed her across the snow and off a cliff! Ilene cried out, and right before she hit the ground she woke up.

She breathed heavily, reminding herself it was just a dream and that no storm was coming. Even so, she sensed something was _not _right.

Ilene was on the floor instead of her bed, and she figured that's wasn't all that different. It wasn't the first time she had fallen out of her bed while sleeping, yet that wasn't what was bothering her. Something was _definitely _behind her.

Ilene became aware that someone was entering the room as the door creaked open. The light from the hallway spilled into the room, and Ilene's heart stopped as she stared at what the light revealed. Right next to her hand was the giant white paw of only one creature that she knew would be crazy enough to sneak into the castle. _Yarik._

* * *

_OH NO! Yarik's broken into the castle to get Ilene to get his revenge on Timofey! What's going to happen next!? Guess you'll have to review and find out! :D_

_No Russian words in this chapter, so no explanations. :D_

_Please review! Thanks for reading!_

_-Shire_


	14. Another Narrow Escape

_I'm BACK! Yay! Thank you Synchronized Harmony and Sha28 for the reviews, boy howdy you two are on top of your game, aren't you? Oh, and thank you Sha28 for the birthday wishes, it means a lot to me. :) I had a wonderful birthday-and guess what everyone? For my birthday T.E.M. gave me a white tiger with blue eyes! She gave me Yarik! It looks just like him! :D Rather inspiring, actually, to have a toy that looks like a character I've written... I also got an iTunes card, and I bought the whole Brave album. :) Love that music..._

_Okay, here's the next chapter! Though from the reviews, it looked like you all were kind of confused by the last chapter, so let me remind you that Yairk was not yet out of the castle, and that the door had just opened when Ilene saw Yarik's paw right next to her, illuminated by the light of the hallway. That's important to remember._

_Thanks for reading and please review! Thank you!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

* * *

_Chapter Fourteen_

Another Narrow Escape

Ilene didn't even cry out as she threw herself forward and under her bed so quickly Yarik didn't even have time to react.

Merida, on the other hand, screamed as loud as she could. "Tiger!" she yelled as Yarik shot his paw under Ilene's bed in a frantic attempt to retrieve his hostage.

Ilene started to shriek as Yarik snarled in anger, trying to snag her nightgown and drag her out with his claw. Not successful, he flopped over onto his side to see where she was, and then stuck his paw back under to grab her.

Ilene backed herself into the far corner of the bed, barely out of the reach of the enraged feline. "Papa! Help me!" She screeched, quickly diving to the other side when Yarik jumped over the bed and switched sides so he could snatch her.

Merida ran down the hallway, shouting over and over again, "Tiger! Tiger!"

Timofey had raced out of the dining room and was half way up the stairs before she'd even reached the top of the staircase, his sword withdrawn. "Where is he!?" He shouted at her.

Merida pointed towards hers and Ilene's room and Timofey charged on yelling.

Timofey burst into the girls' room, instantly catching sight of the great beast who was currently not feeling so powerful as Ilene slipped right past him and ran straight to Timofey. "Papa!" she cried, and Timofey shoved her out the door. He then waved his sword towards the tiger threateningly.

"Don't you ever come near my daughter _again_." He spat in Russian.

Yarik hissed at him, and pulled his paw out from underneath the bed. "Timofey Petrov." He growled, standing up to show his full height. "I don't know _how _you survived, but I'm going to make you wish you hadn't."

Yarik struck out, but Timofey was ready for this and leapt out of the room, slammed the door shut and bolted it just as Fergus reached him.

"That's not going to hold him!" Fergus exclaimed as both he and Timofey threw themselves against the door to hold it shut as Yarik struck at it with his paw. They both winced as they heard the wood splinter on the other side, knowing that the next blow would break it open.

Simultaneously the two men leapt from the door and withdrew their swords as the door broke open, revealing a _very _angry white tiger.

The monster charged, jumping towards Timofey and Fergus.

Fergus yelled and slashed his sword across the cat's chest, cutting him slightly. Yarik screamed in pain, then struck at Fergus, only to find another sharp blade belonging to Timofey blocking him.

"Run!" Timofey shouted as Yarik withdrew himself, blood running from his paw and chest. "Run and get your men!"

Fergus sprang forward and ran towards the stairs as Timofey dodged a strike from the killer tiger.

"Elinor!" Fergus bellowed down the stairs. "_Call all the guards!_"

Elinor, who was urging the servants into hiding, leapt into action. Running to the door, she threw it open and shouted, "Tiger! Tiger! All guards come! There is a tiger in the castle!"

As if a fire had been lit under their feet guards came pouring in from every direction, brandishing their weapons and letting out a battle cry. They rushed up the stairs to aid their King, who had returned to help Timofey battle off Yarik.

Yarik took one look at the advancing guards and decided it was time to make his exit.

He whirled around and retreated, running back into the princesses' room and skidding to a stop at the window. _That is a long drop. _He glanced back as Timofey and Fergus burst into the room after him.

"I will get her _Petrov!_" he snarled. "And I will torture her, torment her, wound her, and inflict pain on her until she doesn't want to live! And then I'll kill her!"

With that he leapt out the window, doing a half twist and catching the side of the castle with his claws. He slid down the sides of the wall and landed on all fours, running off into the forest with a horrific roar.

Timofey and Fergus raced to the window, watching as the feline disappeared into the woods.

"He's going to kill her." Timofey muttered to himself. "Unless we do something about it, he is going to _kill my daughter._"

Fergus glanced sideways at Timofey, words failing him as they often did. "We'll think of something." He said at last.

* * *

Ilene, Merida, Hamish, Harris and Hubert all sat huddled together in the boys' room, their eyes filled with terror as they listened to the shouts and yells of the men and the snarls and screams of the tiger.

For ten minutes they listened to Fergus and Timofey battle with the beast, and then they heard the guards come. It was as if their presence worked magic, for the children heard the tiger turn and flee, but not before he had shouted his threats.

Ilene was already crying, but when she heard Yarik's words she trembled. He was going to use her in his revenge against Timofey, and he had nearly succeeded tonight. Killing her was no longer enough for him. He had to terrorize her first.

When Yarik had been driven from the living quarters of the castle, Fergus, Elinor and Timofey came into the boys room to find all of the children in tears. It was rare to see Merida crying, and even rarer to find the DunBroch boys doing so.

Elinor gathered up the children and took them to her and Fergus's room, soothing them and comforting them as she put them in the giant king sized bed.

Merida felt a little too old to be sleeping in the large bed with her three brothers and sister, but then decided this was better than sleeping in her room with the knowledge that if Yarik could get in once he could do it again.

Elinor stayed in the room with the children until they had stopped sniffling and had fallen asleep, then she rose and quietly joined Fergus and Timofey in the triplets' room.

The two men were discussing earnestly what to do about the humoungus beast, barely aware that Elinor had entered with them.

"Oh, dear!" Fergus exclaimed suddenly, catching sight of his wife. "Ye will never believe this. Jeremiah limped out of his bed and _up _the stairs to demand to know what was going on. Ye should have seen his face when we told him the great cat had gotten into the castle. 'We will never be safe until he is killed!' he cried. He was in a state! Petrov and I had to take him back downstairs and make sure he got back into bed before he keeled over in a panic."

"The poor man." Timofey muttered. "I can't imagine how terrified he must have been with an animal he's never seen before bearing down on him and trying to kill him."

Elinor seated herself in a chair, studying the Russian man's face. He was distraught, and for good reason. His daughter's life was being threatened by a man who had killed his wife and his whole family, and had come close to killing him. And now this man was a beast who had so far proved himself nearly unstoppable except when they retaliated in mass. But how many more attempts would he make to grab Ilene and make her pay for something she had never done?

Elinor's mind wandered to Ilene. Poor Ilene. She was no doubt in shock. A man she'd thought was dead comes back as a tiger to kill her, and the father she had thought to be no more shows up to reclaim her. To think she hadn't had a mental breakdown yet was amazing, but Elinor expected that would probably happen in the morning. No thirteen-year-old girl was made to handle this kind of stress, and she worried for her health.

"What am I going to do?" Timofey moaned, snapping Elinor out of her thoughts. "Yarik will kill Tonya if I don't do _something _about it!"

"Aye." Fergus agreed. "The man, er, _tiger_, is bent on his revenge. It's the return of a beast! It's like having Mor'du come back, but worse. This one can _talk_!"

"And da only way tah scare him off is with numbers. Ewen then, if he chose to stay and fight he would slay us all." Timofey pointed out. Elinor noted that his Russian accent seemed more prominent then before, and glanced at the dark circles under his eyes. He was tired.

"Perhaps," Elinor suggested, "We should all get some rest and decide in the morning what should be done about Yarik."

Timofey and Fergus nodded. "Of course darlin', ye always know what's best." Fergus smiled, and then yawned. "Oye, it must be like twelve o'clock."

"Actually, it's ten." Elinor told him. "But we've all had a long night regardless. It's time we get some rest."

Turning to Timofey, she said, "Ye are welcome to any empty room in the house, same as last night."

"Thank you, your majesty." He said, bowing low. "I believe I'll stay in the room I stayed in last night."

"Very well. Good night, Mr. Petrov." She said.

"Good night, your majesties." He told Fergus and Elinor, and walked out of the room.

* * *

Timofey lay in his bed, dead tired but not being able to sleep. His mind was wide awake, the day's events whirling around in his head. _I will torture her, torment her, wound her, and inflict pain on her until she doesn't want to live! And then I'll kill her! _Yarik's words rang over and over again in his head. It all seemed so-hopeless. Yarik had turned into a killing machine, a _tiger. _Timofey remembered when he saw his first tiger when he was young. The feline killed four cows within a minute, and then ran off without eating a single one of them. They killed for fun, and they were vicious and strong. Yarik already possessed those characteristics as a person, and the tiger form he had taken on only magnified them twenty times more. And his size! He was _huge_! No regular tiger would ever be that large. Yet Yarik was a monster of an animal, a beast of strength and power. It was only a matter of time before he thought up another scheme to take Tonya away from him. Somehow, Timofey had to stop him. He had to protect his daughter from the clutches of this mad man of an animal. _Good luck on that. _He moaned to himself. _Only a tiger of equal or great size can kill a beast that big. _

Suddenly Timofey sat straight up. _Only a tiger of equal or greater size… _his thoughts trailed off, and he suddenly realized that he had had the answer all along. He knew what he had to do to save his daughter and the entire Scottish kingdom. _Only a tiger of equal or greater size can kill a beast that big._

* * *

_What has Timofey gotten into his head? What is this great idea he's gotten that will stop Yarik? Any guesses? Probably obvious, I'm sure, I didn't do a very good job of hiding it. But that's because there's a surprise coming up... :D_

_Please review! Thank you!_

_-Shire_


	15. Decisions

_Good afternoon, this is your writer speaking. ;) Here's the next chapter! Thank you Synchronized Harmony and Sha28 for the reviews, as usual. You two are just amazing, you keep this story going. :D  
_

_Here's the next chapter, hope you like it, please read and review and thank you!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter fifteen_

Decisions

Ilene sat up screaming, convinced that tiger was out to kill her again.

This of course woke up Merida and the triplets, who at first where terrified of the same fact. It didn't take long, though, for Merida to realize it had just been another nightmare. "It's okay Ilene, it's really alight." Merida told her, trying her best not to be annoyed. She was _not _ready to get up yet.

Ilene wanted to cry, she wanted to _wail_. But one look outside told her the sun was only rising, and that doing so would wake everyone up in the castle after the already long night. So she bit her lip and held it back, shivering every couple of seconds as she forced her thoughts back.

The triplets, after realizing that nothing was the matter and that their sister had only had a bad dream, decided to take action immediately. They grabbed their pillows and knocked Ilene over, whacking her with the pillows for waking them up early.

"Boys!" Ilene cried, using her hands to block the onslaught of pillows.

"Hey, boys, stop!" Merida commanded, grabbing Hubert. He whacked her on the head with the pillow, giggling.

Merida was about to scold him, when she noticed that Ilene was laughing also. "Stop! Stop!" she squealed, laughing her head off as Hamish and Harris continued to jump up and down, smacking her with their pillows.

Merida grinned, grabbed her own pillow and brought it down on Hubert's head. At first Hubert was surprised, and then he retaliated with his pillow and hit Merida back. Soon _all_ the children were in a full-out pillow war with each other, laughing their heads off and leaping on and off the bed.

Merida couldn't remember the last time they'd all done something so much fun, and she was glad to see Ilene was enjoying herself. They squealed and laughed and giggled as they dodged each other and tried to whack the other person with their pillow.

Ilene laughed and laughed until she cried, and then she stopped playing and starting crying. It took a while before Merida realized that she wasn't crying because she thought it was so funny, she was _really _crying.

"Ilene!" Merida exclaimed, concerned. She whacked Harris away with her pillow and crawled over to where Ilene was. "Ilene, are ye alright?"

"No." Ilene sobbed. "I'm not alright."

"What's wrong?"

"Think about it Merida! Think about it! Yarik wants to kidnap me to torture me, and then he wants to kill me. He wants to hurt Papa in the worst way possible, through me! And no doubt after he kills us he'll kill ye, and Hamish, and Harris, and Hubert, and Mum, and Dad and-and-and he's not going to _stop_! He's going to kill everyone he meets! And no one can stop him! And here we are hitting each other with pillows like we don't care about a thing in the world!"

"Don't say that Ilene!" Merida hushed her. The boys had stopped whacking each other and were watching Ilene, their eyes wide as they listened to her talk. "Yer just tired, Ilene. It's alright. Someone will stop Yarik. We stopped Mor'du, remember?"

"That was different. Mum was a bear, she _could _stop him." Ilene sniffed. "Yarik is a seven foot tall tiger. He's a killer, a murderer! To make Papa and I pay, he'll kill us and then continue to kill. It's in his nature, that's what he does. He will take out his anger on everyone. It's basically hopeless!"

"Nothing is ever hopeless, Ilene." Merida said sternly. "I don't know how we'll stop him, but we will. Mum and Dad will think of something. Yer, uh, yer Papa will think of something. We'll figure it out."

Ilene wiped her eyes and gazed up at Merida. "But until then, Yarik will continue to try and grab me." She whispered. "I am his revenge. He wants to hurt me because he knows that will torture Papa more than anything else would. And he knows that that's through me. He doesn't just want to kill me, Merida. He's going to drag it out as long as he can until he can put it off no more. _Then _he'll kill me."

Merida knew this was what Yarik was planning. It was obvious with his crazy attempt last night to break into the castle and take Ilene. He was _insane. _He was so unstable he was willing to do anything to have his vengeance against Timofey Petrov. He knew no boundaries-Ilene was right. "I don't know what to say, Ilene." Merida sighed, putting a hand on Ilene's shoulder. "Yer right. He will not stop trying to get ye and yer Dad until he's killed."

"And how are we going to do that when he's so big and powerful?" Ilene moaned.

Merida didn't answer, but looked down. Ilene had pointed out something she hadn't thought of before. No one had been able to kill Mor'du except Mum. But she had to be a bear to kill him. Who then was worthy enough to challenge Yarik?

"We'll protect ye Ilene."

Merida and Ilene shot their heads up and stared at Hamish, who was standing between his brothers with his arms crossed.

"Hamish!" Merida gasped. "Ye-ye _just talked_!"

Merida and Ilene glanced at each other, and fell back onto the bed in shock.

Hamish didn't say anything, he just rolled his eyes and turned to his brothers as if to say _aren't they crazy? Of course we can talk! _

* * *

Elinor woke up to Merida screeching. "Mum! Mum! _Hamish just talked_!" Merida yelled, running down the hallway.

Elinor yawned, and smiled to herself. "I'm right here dear!" she called as Merida raced passed her doorway.

Merida skidded to a stop, turned back and ran to the room Elinor was sleeping in. "Mum! Hamish just talked!" she exclaimed, leaping onto the bed with her mother. "Hamish just talked!"

"What? Ye didn't think the triplets were mute, did ye?" Elinor asked. "They talk to me all the time."

Merida stared at her. "Why didn't ye tell Ilene and me that? We thought they couldn't speak!"

Elinor laughed. "Oh, they speak. Ye just have to realize that they don't usually do it the normal way. They speak through their actions. Once in a while though, they may say something." Elinor sat up and removed the covers from the bed, stepping onto the floor. "Well, since ye are all up, why don't we go and get the servants to make an early breakfast for everyone? I'm sure with all yer yelling ye woke everyone in the house."

Merida glanced down guiltily. "Ilene woke us all up." She explained, following Elinor out of the spare bedroom. "Nightmare."

Elinor nodded. "I knew she was going to break sooner or later. No child should be put through that much stress, knowin' a crazed man turned animal wants to torture ye for the sheer purpose of fun and revenge on a father ye thought was dead."

Merida shuddered. How terrible it must be for her younger sister to have to sit and wait, wondering if that day would be the last day of her life. "Mum," Merida said quietly. "Do ye think-do ye think Ilene's Papa is going to take her away from us?"

Elinor didn't respond for a second as she paused. "I don't know Merida." She choked, and Merida was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "Oh, heaven knows I want the child to stay here with us. But Timofey is her father, he has a right to her before us."

"But we _raised _her! He can't just barge in here and proclaim he has returned, and then take her away from us!" Merida protested, tears coming to her own eyes. "It's not fair!"

Elinor turned to Merida and hugged her. "I know it seems unfair. I feel the same way."

"Ye, ye do?"

"Aye. I want Ilene to stay with us. I don't want her to leave Scotland and be raised as someone else's child. Merida, I consider both ye and her equal. Ilene is not my child, but I still see her as me own girl. Does that offend ye?"

Merida shook her head. "I want her to be me sister. I don't want her to be someone else's girl. She's the only sister I have!"

Elinor stroked Merida's hair. "Rest easy, me lassie. Ilene hasn't left yet. We have more pressing matters at hand then if Ilene will leave us or not."

Merida knew Elinor was right, yet she still couldn't help but wonder if the beast didn't get to Ilene if Timofey would take her away from her.

"It will work out for the best, Merida." Elinor told her, reading her thoughts. Merida looked up at her Mum, and they hugged each other, tears streaming down their face. Both of them didn't want to see Ilene hurt, but neither did they want her to leave.

* * *

At breakfast time everyone was unusually quiet. Fergus and Timofey chatted a little more about hunting, but even that didn't perk up their spirits.

"How you doing, Tonya?" Timofey asked, noticing his daughter was picking at her meal.

"Fine, Papa." She murmured.

Timofey didn't seem to believe that, but he remained silent. He was still having trouble adjusting to the roll of father.

"Yer majesties!" Mark the guard came rushing in, his face red. "Yer majesties! Yer majesties! I bring news from the South! Clan Dingwall was attacked this morning by the beast!"

"What!" Fergus shouted, leaping up and beginning to pace. "Why that no good mangy tiger! When I get me hands on him I'm going to rip him to pieces!"

"How many were killed?" Elinor demanded.

"They don't know, at least twenty or more." He told her. "But they were able to band together and chase the great cat off."

"How did Lord Dingwall fare?" Fergus asked, turning to Mark.

"He is doing fine. His son is missing though."

Elinor and Fergus gasped, as well as Merida, Ilene and the triplets. "Wee Dingwall is missing?" Fergus stammered. "They don't think he was killed, was he?"

Mark shook his head. "They don't know. Several members of clan Dingwall are missing, and several are injured. The ones who aren't dead or injured or missing are helping search and care for the others."

"I should have seen this coming." Timofey snapped, leaping up. The DunBrochs and Ilene were startled by his actions. "Of course he'd take out his anger on innocent people. It's his way of drawing me out to fight him. Then he'll either kill me or go after Tonya."

"What should we do?" Merida asked. "He's practically unstoppable. He's just like Mor'du. We weren't able to kill Mor'du until Mum turned into a bear and fought with him."

Timofey turned to Fergus. "I need a horse."

"Yer not plannin' on fighting him, are ye?" Fergus exclaimed.

"I am. But not as myself." Timofey stated. "I'm going to the witch."

"What!" they all exclaimed, staring at the Russian man.

"Don't you see?" Timofey persisted. "You keep saying over and over that until your queen turned into a bear, you weren't able to defeat your dreaded demon monster Mor'du. I have to get a spell from the witch and turn into a tiger to defeat Yarik. No human can beat him, but a tiger of greater or equal size can."

"How do ye know you'll turn into a tiger?" Merida inquired. "Everyone before Yarik turned into bears!"

"I think it works by nationality." Timofey explained. "You Scots turn into bears, us Russians turn into tigers."

"I suppose that would explain it." Elinor admitted.

"Then it's settled. I'm going to the witch to get a spell." Timofey turned to leave.

"But Papa!" Ilene cried, jumping from her chair. "Ye may never turn back into a man! What if ye stay a tiger forever?"

Timofey turned to Ilene, his eyes proving he was fearful of the same fact. "You said the witch gives spell breakers. She'll give me one and I'll use it-after I kill Yarik."

"The spells become permanent if ye don't hurry!" Ilene told him. "What if ye don't find Yarik before it's too late?"

"Don't worry, Tonya." Timofey said softly. "If we don't stop Yarik, he will not only kill us but anyone who gets in his way. He isn't going to be satisfied with our blood for long. Don't you see my _doch'_? I _have _to do this."

"Then I'm coming with you." Ilene crossed her arms stubbornly.

"No, you are not." He snorted. "You are staying here."

"Ilene! Don't be so foolish!" Elinor scolded. "Yarik's already tried to kill ye three times, if he finds ye he'll kill ye."

"I'm just as safe here as I am anywhere." Ilene pointed out. "Yarik can get into the castle. He proved that last night. If he did it once he can do it again. I am not safe anywhere."

"She has a point." Timofey admitted.

Ilene latched onto this and quickly advanced. "Aye. But if I'm with ye, Papa, and yer a tiger, I'd be safer than I would be here."

"But Ilene!" Merida groaned. "Timofey will be exposed to fits of animal-like behavior like everyone else was."

"But they don't last long." Ilene argued. She turned to Timofey. "Papa, if ye insist on doing this than I'm insisting on this. Let me come with ye."

Timofey bit his lower lip, undecided. "I don't know, Tonya." He sighed.

"I don't want to lose you again." Ilene whimpered.

Timofey winced at the thought. He glanced at Fergus and Elinor, who were waiting him to answer the blond girl. Merida was holding her breath, convinced he wouldn't say yes but afraid he would also.

Timofey turned his gaze to Ilene, her eyes on the verge of tears. "Papa." Was all she managed.

Timofey sighed again, and shook his head. "You're right." He said at last. "You're just as safe here as you are in the woods. Wery well, you may come with me."

Ilene ran over to Timofey and hugged him. "Thank you. Thank you." She whispered.

"We will leave right away." He told Fergus and Elinor, who remained silent as their fears for their adopted daughter flashed through their eyes. "Do you have an extra horse for me?"

"Aye." Merida croaked, straining back her own tears of anger and fear. "You can use Angus."

"But Merida-" Ilene began, and Merida put her hand up to silence her.

"Use Angus. Next to Mystery, he's the finest draft horse in the country." She told Timofey.

Timofey hesitated, then, seeing the dangerous look in Merida's eyes, nodded. "Thank you, yer majesty. You're a fine lady."

Merida didn't answer, only crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. _How dare you put my sister in danger. _She growled to herself, then turned and left the room, not even saying goodbye to Ilene as she stormed off in anger. _I will not let Timofey put Ilene in danger. Not if I have any say in it! _

* * *

_Great, now Timofey and Ilene are heading in the forest to find the witch and Merida is angry. Typical Merida, who knows what she's going to do about this, huh? ;)  
_

_Keep on reading and reviewing! See you two reviews later!  
_

_-Shire  
_


	16. You're not a Tiger!

_Hello everyone! I'm back! Sorry I didn't post for a while... I got sick with that bad flu, and I haven't been doing well at all. Anyways thank you Synchronized Harmony, Sha28 and Friend for the reviews, it means a lot to me! Oh, and Friend, yes, I did miss that little mistake, but it's fixed now! :D ;)_

_Anyways thanks for reading, please review and I look forward to hearing from you all! :D_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

* * *

_Chapter Sixteen_

You're not a Tiger!

"That's it." Ilene pointed, reining in Mystery as they gazed upon the path ahead of them.

Timofey nodded, obviously nervous. "Let's go then." He muttered, asking Angus to walk down the path as they left the Ring of Stones.

"Papa." Ilene asked as they rode the drought horses through the forest. "I'm-I'm frightened."

Timofey sighed and reined his horse in, glancing at his daughter. It was strange to him to think that only three days ago he had no daughter, and now here he was with his child, embarking on a dangerous mission that could end with the death of both of them. "I'm frightened too, Tonya." He mumbled. "I' m frightened too. But there is a saying in our country, 'Courage is when you're frightened, yet you swallow it down and ride on to face the danger anyways.' There was a song your Mama used to sing to you about that. Do you remember?"

Ilene shook her head no. "I don't remember Mama at all." She sighed.

"That's alright. You were wery young. I didn't ewen think you'd remember me."

Ilene couldn't help but smile, finding it interesting Timofey could not pronounce 'v'.

"Do you sing, Tonya?" Timofey asked suddenly.

"Aye, a little."

"Your mother used to sing all the time. Perhaps you could sing me a song?"

Ilene smiled shyly. "Are ye sure? I'm not that good."

Timofey waved it off. "I'm sure you're fine at it, my child. It would please me greatly."

Ilene furrowed her brow, trying to remember a song she knew. "There's this one song that Mum used to sing to Merida and I when we were young." she said slowly. "A Mhaighdean Bhan Uasal."

"Witan Wasal what?" Timofey asked, confused.

"_Vitan Wasal Vahn._" Ilene repeated. "In Gaelic, it means Noble Maiden Fair."

"Ah. Why don't you sing it to me?"

Ilene took a deep breath, a little embarrassed. "Mum sings this better than I. But as it is, it goes like this. _A naoidhean bhig, cluinn mo ghuth, Mise ri d' thaobh, O mhaighdean bhan. Ar righinn oig, fas as faic, Do thir, dileas fhein. A ghrian a's a ghealaich, stuir sinn, Gu uair ar cliu's ar gloire. Naoidhean bhig, ar righinn og, Mhaighdean uashaill bhan._"Timofey listened to Ilene's beautiful soft voice, reminded of how much she sounded like her Mama. Ilene repeated the song over again, the words sounding to him like, "_Enoyen veek, Clooin moe ghooth, meshari deheav a vitan vahn. Arreven yaik, fashash feek, doe heer jehelias bane. Ensyelik shay yak, shtoor sheen, goo o'air a clu, sar glaah-ruh. Nayen veek, arreven yak, Vitan Wasal Vahn_."

Ilene finished the song, grinning sheepishly. "So, that's the song."

"You have a beautiful voice, Tonya." Timofey praised. Then he, too, grinned sheepishly. "Now you'll have to tell me what it means. I only know Russian and English."

"Oh, right!" Ilene giggled. "It means, 'Little baby, hear my voice, I'm beside you, oh maiden fair. Our young lady, grow and see, your land, your own faithful land. Sun and moon, guide us, to the hour of our glory and honor. Little baby, our young lady, Noble Maiden Fair.'"

Timofey nodded, the words playing over and over in his mind. "Beautiful song." He murmured. "Beautiful song. The Queen taught you and, uh, the princess this song?"

Ilene shook her head yes. "She used to sing it to us while we played at her feet with our toys, often fighting over who got to be the horse and who had to be the bear."

Timofey threw his head back in laughter. "Ah, children don't change, no matter what culture." He smiled, glancing at Ilene. She gave him a half hearted smile, finding it hard to be light hearted at this time. "You, you like the DunBrochs?" Timofey asked.

"Oye! There the only family I've ever known!" Ilene exclaimed. "Elinor is the only Mum I've ever had, Papa. And Fergus is a good Dad. Merida is me sister through and through, and the triplets are always making me laugh. I love them all, Papa."

Timofey nodded, afraid of that answer. Oh, he wanted Ilene to have been happy with her adopted family for the last twelve years, but he wondered how he was going to ask her to do what he had in mind after this whole thing with Yarik was over.

"Papa, look." Ilene said, whoaing Mystery and pointing down a hill. There was the witch's cottage. "We're here."

* * *

The door rang, and the old woman turned to see the blond princess and a man entering in. "Oh, did you come back to buy some carvings?" she asked eagerly.

"Just like you said." The man muttered in disbelief, turning to the youngest princess. "How did you know?"

"I've been here enough to know." She replied, giggling. The witch narrowed her eyes.

"Who is this you've brought me?" she asked Ilene, gesturing to the man.

"This is me Papa, Timofey." Ilene explained. "Ye were right, 'things aren't always what they seem.' The tiger was Yarik, and me Papa wasn't dead."

"Ah, but do you remember the second part I told you?"

Ilene nodded. "I haven't figured that one out yet."

"Keep working on it. It will come to you." The witch told her. She glanced at Timofey. "So what can I do for you? Did you want a bear carving?"

"What? Er, no, I don't." Timofey stammered. "I, I need something else from you."

The witch smacked her forehead. "Please don't tell me you want a spell." She groaned. Timofey nodded. "What is it with you ungrateful people? You always are trying to change things, to change your fate. Don't you realize that your fate was planned out for you before you were even born? Your story was all ready written out. Why can't you be grateful and content with how you are?"

"You don't understand." Timofey said. "I don't want a spell."

"Then what do you want?" the witch demanded.

"Well actually, I do want a spell, but it's not because I want to change-"

"See! I knew it!" she snapped. Her crow cawed, causing Timofey to jump. "Well what is it you want?"

"I want the same spell you gave to Yarik." He mumbled. "If it's not too much to ask."

"Men." The witch grumbled, turning and shoving Timofey and Ilene aside as she went out the door. Ilene took her Papa by the hand and led him out, knowing what the witch was doing. "Men and strength. You all are always trying to be the strongest. And women? Augh! They're fighting over being the prettiest!"

"I don't want to be the strongest, I have to be!" Timofey muttered under his breath.

"No, you don't have to be that." The witch retorted, slamming the door, turning in a circle and snapping her fingers. She opened the door again and walked into her spell making room.

"To save my daughter and this land I have to be a tiger to kill Yarik, before he slaughters anyone else." Timofey spat, annoyed with the witch's behavior.

The witch stopped dead in her tracks, and whirled around. "You want a spell so you can save the people?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yes." He sighed.

"You do realize that you could wind up staying an animal forever?" she commented, throwing a couple of things into the pot.

"I understand that, yes."

The witch eyed Timofey, surprised. She didn't say anything to him though, but turned to Ilene. "Payment."

"Oh, right." Ilene stuttered, pulling out a golden bracelet she'd brought along. "Will this do?"

"Nope." She said, not even glancing at it.

"But this is all I brought along!" Ilene exclaimed.

"Sorry, won't do."

"Here, wait!" Timofey pulled out a ring, a wolf engraved on it. "How about this? It's all I have."

The witch glanced it over. "That will do." She said, snatching it. She threw in some more ingridents, and turned to Timofey. "I see your reasons are noble." She said slowly. "I have never had anyone come to me with the sole purpose of getting a spell to save someone else. You are afraid, aren't you?"

Timofey didn't respond, he simply nodded.

"You have a right to be." The witch grabbed a strand of Ilene's hair and yanked it out, causing the girl to yelp.

"Oye, what was that fer?" Ilene exclaimed, rubbing her scalp as the witch dropped the hair into the pot.

"You have the same DNA as your father. His hair is too short to pull." The witch explained, stirring the mixture of odd stuff into the pot.

Ilene couldn't help but snicker at that, and Timofey chuckled nervously. _Whosh! _The mixture exploded into a colorful light show, and then faded away.

"Here we are!" the old woman said, pulling out a cupcake. She handed it to Timofey, who looked down at it doubtfully. "Now I must tell you something." The witch said gravely, folding her arms. "You are doing something noble, yes, but because you're doing this to save your daughter and the people of this land and not for yourself, I can't give you a spell breaker."

"What!" Ilene squealed. "You have to! He can't stay a tiger forever! He'll kill people, just like Mor'du and Yarik!"

"Thanks for your faith in me." Timofey muttered.

"Your case will be exceptional." The witch told the Russian man, ignoring Ilene. "You will turn into an animal, yes, but you will not be plagued with bouts of animal mind likeness. You will still be able to talk and think like a man, but you will stay an animal."

"Papa, ye can't do this." Ilene begged, grabbing her father's arm. "Ye can't stay a tiger."

Timofey looked down into the eyes of his daughter, noting the fear that was there. He turned his gaze to the witch, his heart beating wildly. "I won't think like a tiger? My own mind will stay with me? I won't turn into some mindless beast who kills?"

"No, you shall not."

Timofey turned to Ilene. "My child," he said gently, stroking her hair as tears began to leave her eyes, "I do this for you. I do this for everyone. Yarik will kill you, and he will kill everyone he meets."

"But you won't be a person anymore! You'll be an animal for the rest of your life!" Ilene cried. "I just met you-I don't want to lose you!"

"You won't lose me. I will always be there, even if not in human form." Timofey nodded to the witch. "Thank you. This land owes it to you."

"I know that." The witch replied bluntly.

Timofey and Ilene walked out of the witch's cottage and back towards their horses, Ilene sniffling. "Tonya, you better hold the horses or we'll lose them." Timofey murmured, gently pushing Ilene in the direction of the animals.

Ilene ran over to Mystery and Angus, grabbing their reins. She stroked the horse's necks gently, seeing that they seemed restless as they pawed at the ground. Angus was not only restless but nervous too, suddenly leaping sideways and nearly dragging Ilene off her feet. "Easy boy!" she said, her tears still continuing to fall. She quieted him down, wishing Merida was there to do it instead. That way she could be comforting her Papa.

"Uhh, Tonya?" Timofey's voice came from behind her.

Ilene turned to face her father, and gasped. "Papa!" she cried, her face etched with surprise and shock, then fear. "You already ate it!"

Timofey had indeed transformed, and was studying his paws at the moment. This was _not _right. "I wasn't expecting this." He muttered.

"Papa!" Ilene whispered, her hands flying to her mouth as she stared at the animal her father had become. "You're not a tiger!"

* * *

_I'm sure you've all figured out what Timofey has turned into, huh? ;) Anyways that song, the Noble Maiden Fair, it seems everyone who writes Brave stories uses that song. (Of course they do, it's so amazing!) But I also inlcuded the correct pronounciation and what it would sound like to Timofey. I can sing the song in Gaelic, and I learned proper pronounciation, so you can all learn the song now, too! :D_

_Anyways please review, and thanks for reading!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_


	17. What Now?

_Well, I'm back again! Thank you Synchronized Harmony for the review, you're always so faithful to do so. :D_

_I probably should NOT be posting this chapter, after all I did ask for two reviews per chapter before I posted the next one, but...I was talking to my Mom and she said she thought I should post the next one anyways, so you can all say a big thank you to my Mom for this chapter. :D  
_

_Thanks for reading, and please, please review! Thank you! :D  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter seventeen_

What Now?

Fergus trotted Ryder into the boundary of clan Dingwall, nodding to several members of the clan who were busy cleaning up from the attack as they acknowledged his presence by bowing.

Fergus spied Lord Dingwall, and reined his horse in that direction. To his relief, there was young Lord Wee Dingwall, standing next to his father who was no doubt giving him an earful for scaring him.

"Lord Dingwall!" Fergus called, dismounting from Ryder and heading in the direction of the short man.

"Oye! M'King, glad to see ye came." Dingwall said in a solemn voice. His usually feisty and incorrigible air was far from him today, and Fergus noted he seemed to have taken the attack pretty hard.

"Glad to see Wee Dingwall is alive." Fergus said, nodding to the blond haired young man who was currently staring off into space.

"Aye." Dingwall agreed. "It seems me young lad picked up his weapon and chased the beast off into the woods with me other men, and then continued the chase when the soldiers let off. The crazed animal turned on him and tried to kill him, but he retaliated and fought back, scaring the animal off. The lad's a hero, he is." With that Lord Dingwall slapped his son on the back, who merely continued to stare up at the sky.

Fergus bit his lip, highly doubting that the young Lord had done all of that. The lad was a shrimpy little dork and couldn't even pay attention to his surroundings, much less chase a seven foot tiger through the woods and fighting it off single handedly. Lord Dingwall had always been one to exaggerate things a bit.

"Lord Dingwall!"

Both Fergus and Lord Dingwall turned around to see the other two Lords, Lord Macintosh and Lord MacGuffin come galloping in on their drought horses, reining them in and leaping off. "We came as soon as we heard. How many did ye lose?" Lord MacGuffin asked.

Lord Dingwall sighed and shook his head. "Thirty men, seven women and five children. The last time I lost so many was to Mor'du. But at least Mor'du was slower and pretty much only used his paws. This demon animal came chargin' in here, slashing with his paws, biting with his teeth and leaping right and left from victim to victim. He was impossible to target with spears and swords! He was too quick, attacking so fast ye only saw a blur of black and white. I have never in me life seen an animal so powerful, so fast and so violent. Mor'du was bad, but this, _cat_, this giant cat killed more of me people in thirty minutes than Mor'du did in two hours."

"What are we goin' to do about it?" Lord Macintosh demanded. "He will strike again, ye can count on that. And what kind of cat is that big?"

"He's what the Russians call a tiger." Fergus explained. All the men glanced at him.

"How would ye know that? Have ye ever been to Russia?" Lord Dingwall sneered.

"I have my resources!" Fergus retorted. "Ilene's father has returned."

That got their attention. "I thought he was dead." Lord Macintosh muttered.

"So we all did. But he's returned, and he knows this beast better than we knew Mor'du." Fergus explained. "The tiger isn't just any animal-he's another man turned beast. He went to the witch to change his fate, and in turn changed into a tiger. And Ilene's father, Timofey, knows the man. He was already a killer when he was a person, slaughtering Timofey's entire family line because of something their great ancestor had done a hundred and seventy years before."

"Nice story, but what are we goin' to do about it?" Lord MacGuffin muttered.

"Timofey is already workin' on it now." Fergus replied. "He's gone to the witch to ask for a spell that will change him into a beast of equal or greater size that can defeat the tiger. With Timofey on our side and in the form of the monster, we'll kill that retched animal before he has a chance to wreck havoc on us again."

* * *

Timofey turned back towards the witch's cottage to find the witch was still standing there. "Why have I turned into this!" he exclaimed, looking back down at his paws. "I was supposed to be a tiger, wasn't I? Scots turn into bears, Russians turn into tigers, right?"

The witch couldn't help but cackle. "No, you have it all wrong! Don't you see? The four clans of Scotland have the bear as their sign, so what do they turn into? Bears! Yarik Kolinsky came from a family line that had a white tiger as their sign. So what did he turn into? A tiger! And your family-"

"My family had the sign of the white timber wolf!" Timofey groaned. "And so what do I turn into? A wolf!"

"Right!" the witch told him.

Indeed, he was a massive wolf. He was about the size of a twelve-hand high pony, and his fur was completely white. His paw was the size of a man's hand, giant for a wolf. Timofey glanced at Ilene, who was at a loss for words as she looked her father over.

"Tonya." He croaked. "I'm a wolf."

Ilene came forward and threw her arms around Timofey. "Oh Papa! Why did this have to happen? How are we going to stop Yarik now?"

The witch was standing in the background, no longer paying attention to the two. "Come on, come on." She muttered, tapping her head. "I know I remember it. What was it? Decreed? No, deed!" Suddenly she snapped her fingers. "I remember now! I knew there was more to this spell than I remembered! 'Until you complete your deed, you shall stay what you've decreed!' That was it, yes!"

Ilene had her face buried in Timofey's fur as she hugged the dog, crying. Timofey stood their rigid, worry and sorrow etched into his brow. _Why? Why does he have to stay a wolf forever?_ Ilene lifted her head at the sound of the witch's voice and asked, "Did ye say something?"

Suddenly she realized that her father and her were alone, back at the Ring of Stones.

"This is not good." Timofey moaned. "At least I can still speak, but a _wolf_? I was willing to give myself up to be an animal that could beat Yarik, but a wolf? I'm half the size he is! How am I to stop him now?"

Ilene slid to the ground, hugging her knees. "Oh, why is this happening to us?" she wailed. "Papa, why do ye have to stay an animal forever? Everyone else got a spell breaker, why couldn't ye have gotten one?"

Timofey stopped pacing and turned to the girl, his heart reaching to her. Who would take care of her now, if he was to remain a wolf for the rest of his life? The DunBrochs, of course. Somehow even the knowledge she would be well cared for did not ease his burden, and he sighed, sinking to the ground and putting his head on his paws. "I'm sorry Tonya. I'm sorry. I don't know what to do."

Ilene wiped the tears from her eyes. "It's alright Papa." She said, her lower lip trembling. "At least you can still talk and you won't have the mind of a wolf."

Timofey nodded. "Yes, at least I won't be a mindless killer."

Even in this bleak circumstance, they could be glad for that. Timofey would not be a killer. He would not be a monster or a beast like Mor'du or the newest threat to the Scottish people, the dreaded white tiger Yarik.

* * *

Merida glanced up once more, making sure no one was watching her. "Good boy, Rylee." She murmured, stroking the Thoroughbred as she tightened the cinch. Rylee continued to eat as if he didn't have a care in the world.

Merida checked the cinch to make sure it was tight enough, then pulled out the bridle. She took Rylee's head and slipped the bit between his teeth, then settled the leather behind his ears and strapped the cheek strap. "Good laddie. Yer a good lad, aren't ye?"

Quietly she unlatched the stall door, glanced around, and then mounted up on the horse. "Hiya!" she shouted, kicking the stallion into a gallop. Rylee lunged forward and through the courtyard onto the bridge, galloping into the forest.

"Princess! Wait!" Mark the guard shouted, running on the bridge after her. Merida ignored him and urged Rylee through the snow and into the deep dark woods.

Mark stopped running and watch hopelessly as the princess took off. _I am so going to get it for this. _He moaned, then turned around and ran back into the castle grounds.

* * *

Elinor sat in a chair, trying to sew back up the tapestries that the tiger had torn the night before but finding it impossible to concentrate on her work. She couldn't stop thinking about clan Dingwall, praying for the lives lost and praying for those missing. It amazed her that Yarik could live with himself after shedding so much blood. _The monster will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants. _She thought with a shudder.

"Yer majesty! Yer majesty!" Mark shouted, running in. Elinor leapt up and let her sewing drop.

"What is it?" she demanded. "What's wrong? Have Ilene and Timofey returned? Fergus?"

Mark shook his head. "It's princess Merida." He stammered.

"What about Merida?" Elinor asked, stepping back as she began to put two and two together. "Ye don't mean-"

Mark nodded. "The princess has taken the Thoroughbred and left."

Elinor moaned and fell back in the chair. _How can this be happening to me? _Not only was her husband gone, but now both her daughters were in the woods where a dangerous man eating tiger was lying in wait for any prey that happened upon it. _At least the triplets are still here. _She tried to console herself, breathing in sharp deep breaths. _It can't get much worse than this. _

"Yer majesty!" Here came the other guard, Ian. "The three princes just took off on a horse!"

_Never mind, I guess they can. _

"Saddle up me horse!" Elinor ordered, rising from the chair. "I must find me children before this beast claims us all."

"But yer majesty-"

"_Do it Mark._" Her voice was cold and dangerous, and Mark swallowed down his better judgment.

"Aye, yer majesty." He murmured, bowing low and then taking off for the stable. "Saddle up the Queen's horse!"

* * *

_Great, the whole family of DunBroch is out in the wilderness where Yarik roams and attacks any and all he sees! What is going to happen? Guess you'll just have to review to find out! :D _

_Oh, and random question: Nie, are you still lurking around? Just curious, you were always one of my faithful readers and reviewers. :D  
_

_Thanks for reading and please review!  
_

_-Shire  
_


	18. A Sheep In Wolf's Clothing

_Hello everyone! Well, I'm back! :D Thank you Ceikaiyia Cheeks, Synchronized Harmony and Sha28 for the reviews! Thank you thank you thank you! :D :D :D  
_

_Synchronized Harmony: I know bears are actually stronger than tigers, but... okay, here's the thing. When I was real little, my sister and I used to play bear and tiger. I was the bear and she was the tiger, and the tiger ALWAYS killed the bear. :D I, the bear, wasn't very strong, and my older sister who was being the tiger always claimed a tiger was faster and quicker and smarter than a bear, so she won every time. As stupid as that sounds, I kind of intertwined that for fun into this story for memories sake. :D  
_

_Sha28: okay, that explains a lot. :D I knew somehow you and Nie were connected, you both spelled the same, but I didn't realize you were the same person. :D Thank you so much for your constant support through these stories, I really appreciate it! :D And I can't wait for your next chapter... :D  
_

_Anyways please read and review, and thank you! :D  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter eighteen_

A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

Merida had no trouble finding Ilene and Timofey, they were still in the Ring of Stones when she came galloping up on Rylee. At first she was surprised to find them there, and troubled, too. If she could find them so easily, Yarik would find them easier. As a cat he was supposed to have a keen sense of smell, being able to track something at least two miles ahead of him.

It didn't take Merida long to figure out why they hadn't left yet. One look at Timofey and it was obvious.

Merida reined in her horse and dismounted.

"Merida!" Ilene cried, staring at the redheaded girl. "What are ye doin' here?"

"What's this?" Merida demanded, gesturing to the wolf who stood up as soon as Merida showed up. "What happened to yah?"

"I was wrong." Timofey muttered. "It doesn't work by nationalities."

"Aye. It works by yer heritage." Ilene explained. "The DunBrochs and the other four clans turn into bears because that is their sign. The Kolinskys would turn into tigers because that is their family sign, and the Petrovs turn into wolves." Ilene finished by gesturing to Timofey.

"How are ye going to fight Yarik if yer a wolf? Yer at least half the size of him!" Merida exclaimed. "And how come ye talk?"

"Same reason Yarik talks. Papa chose to be what he is so he could help us." Ilene faltered, her voice breaking. "Papa's going to stay a wolf _forever_."

Merida stepped back, the force of Ilene's words hitting her hard. "Forever?"

Ilene nodded, tears she didn't know she could still cry returning to her eyes.

Merida turned to the white wolf, who looked down. "Timofey, I-I'm sorry." She stammered.

"What's done is done. No use fretting about it." He replied with the shake of his head. "Come you two, I will return you to the castle."

"But ye can't just give up!" Merida protested, following the large dog as he turned and started to head in the direction of the castle.

"Who am I to protect you two? Yes, I am bigger than a normal wolf. Yes, I'm bigger than a man, but I am not match for Yarik. Yarik is _seven feet tall. _I look like a pup next to him."

He was right, Merida knew, but she wasn't ready to give up yet. "Ye just gave yerself up to save the kingdom and yer daughter, and now yer going to turn and walk away? Ye became this for a reason, and yer stronger than any normal man now. I suggest ye use this to yer advantage. Timofey if ye can't stop Yarik, no one will be able to stop him."

Timofey hung his head down low and whined. Then coughed at the sound of his own voice. "Augh! Sorry about that."

"No need to apologize Papa." Ilene said softly.

Timofey turned to Merida. "You are right, brave one." He said. "I realize that unless I defeat Yarik no one will be able to. I don't expect someone else to sacrifice themselves to become something greater than Yarik. But I don't have a plan yet, and until I do back to the castle you two go."

Merida sighed, annoyed. She had come all this way to help and now she and Ilene were being sent back. _Mum is going to kill me when I return. _

* * *

Yarik knew they were there. He could smell them, and it didn't take a genius to figure out they were in the forest. Why they would be so foolish as to come into the woods, he didn't know. But they were there all the same, and he was going to get them.

He could tell that it was Ilene and Merida, he had smelled them before. But there was a strange smell that was with them-the smell of a _dog? _Yarik snorted and shook his head, trotting off in the direction of the scent. _Why would they bring a dog with them? A dog is no match for me! _Yet this was a very strange smelling dog. It smelled more like a wild dog. Which may mean they hadn't brought a dog but were being followed by one? He couldn't be sure. Just the thought of some other animal beating him to the kill caused him to pick up speed, and he loped through the woods. He had to get to Ilene before this other threat did. He was not going to settle for something else killing her; he had to do it himself.

* * *

Hamish pulled the reins of their horse Laddie to stop him, surveying the woods before them. Harris and Hubert sat behind him, each one clinging to the boy in front of him. They had seen Merida leave and knew she was going after Timofey and Ilene, and they decided to do the same. Ilene, Timofey and Merida needed their help to stop this wild cat, and they were ready to take up arms and help save the kingdom. They were eight, after all, plenty old enough to fight wild animals.

Hamish turned to his brothers to see if they thought they should continue in the direction they'd chosen. Harris and Hubert nodded, so Hamish turned back to Laddie and cued him to walk on. The old stallion did so willingly. As long as he didn't have to trot he was good to go. Ask him into a trot though, and he'd stop and firmly plant his feet into the ground, refusing to go forward. No one knew what breed the old stallion was, and figured he was a mixture of different horses. He was a good horse though, and a steady mount. This was precisely the reason Elinor had insisted he be the boys' horse.

Suddenly Hubert shot his hand out and pointed into the woods, and Harris and Hamish turned their heads to see what was the matter. Laddie stopped and pricked his ears forward, then snorted. He didn't like this smell at all.

The triplets strained their eyes to see what troubled Hubert so, but didn't see a thing. Harris shrugged, and Hamish shook his head. Hubert persisted though, pointing again. Wait, there was something out there!

All three of the boys kicked Laddie at the same time to go forward, and the old drought horse leapt ahead at a fast walk. He wanted to stop, but they continued to urge him forward.

Hamish suddenly saw what his brother had been pointing out, and he whoaed the horse. He gestured wildly to the object, and all of them stared at it.

* * *

Yarik stared at the three boys on the horse, recognizing them as the young princes. _What are they doing out here? _He thought. He wondered if it was a possibility they were the ones he had smelled earlier, then quickly dismissed the idea. They had a different scent than the earlier smell.

"What are you boys doing out here?" he asked with a fake smile, stepping towards them. _Now aren't they easy prey? _He could easily kill them right now if he wanted to, and he was considering doing so. _Wouldn't that be a nice way to repay Timofey and Tonya for the trouble they caused me? _

The boys remained silent as they watched the great tiger. Their horse was nervous, and was pawing at the ground. But to Yarik's surprise it didn't bolt, but remained still. _Good horse. _He thought.

"Well, can you talk or no?" he demanded with a low growl. He was met with silence. "I will take that to mean you can but are refusing to." Silence. "You are trying my patience, young princes. Do you know who _I am_?" Silence.

Yarik rolled his eyes and glared at them. "Stupid boys." He muttered. He eyed the princes, considering killing them when he suddenly caught wind of that smell again. It was the girls and that strange dog creature. _Right. If I give up the chase now that animal might get to them first. _He thought. He was sure now that the dog that was following them was no normal dog, and he presumed it was a predator canine. He turned to the boys and slightly bowed. "Good day princes. I'm off to go find your sisters." He laughed as he turned around and trotted off into the forest.

* * *

Hamish, Harris and Hubert gazed after the tiger as it trotted off deeper into the forest. They glanced at each other, and shrugged. They then asked Laddie to walk on, and they began following the beast. Where the tiger went, no doubt Ilene and Merida would be too.

* * *

"Ye know Papa, ye do look handsome as a wolf."

"Thank you Tonya. Are you saying I wasn't handsome when I was a man?"

For the first time in at least four days Ilene laughed. "No! I'm just-I'm just trying to make ye feel better." She explained, sobering up a little.

Timofey nodded as he jogged next to the girls, who were astride Angus and Mystery and leading Rylee. The horses kept eying him suspiciously, nervously waiting for him to jump out and bite them.

"The nice thing though, Timofey, is at least the Lords and me Dad won't hunt ye down because yer a real wolf. Once we explain what happened, you'll be welcome to stay in the kingdom." Merida put forth encouragingly. Timofey knew the girls were trying to make him feel better, but he still felt pretty destitute and hopeless.

"I appreciate that." He replied.

"Yer definitely the nicest wolf I've ever seen." Ilene offered. "I'd say yer a sheep in wolf's clothing."

Merida gave Ilene a look. "That's stupid."

"I'm tryin' to be encouraging and hopeful here!" Ilene retorted.

"It's still stupid."

Timofey chuckled. "It's alright Tonya. It really is. What's done is done. I accept my fate and will eventually make my peace with it."

Angus suddenly shot his head up and neighed. Merida glanced at her horse, then towards Ilene. "Something's coming."

They all caught a flash of white in the distance, and instantly Timofey leapt ahead of the two girls. "Quick! Hide!"

The girls didn't need a second initiation, and quickly cantered their horses into a thicket. They dismounted and waited breathlessly as they could distinctly hear something running in their direction.

Timofey stood his ground, his head held up high and his teeth barred, ready to attack. The white object raced around the corner and Timofey sprang into the air to attack it.

"Wait!" Merida cried. "That's me Mum!"

* * *

_Timofey! Don't kill the Queen! She's not Yarik! Review, and tune in next time for the next chapter! We're getting near the end here, we're very close! :D__  
_

_See you two reviews later!  
_

_Thank you!  
_

_-Shire  
_


	19. We're In This Together

_I'm BACK! Yay yay yay! :D Thank you Synchronized Harmony, Sha28 and Ceikaiyia Cheeks for the reviews! Wow, this is great! You all are amazing! :D_

_And to all who were slightly annoyed with the fact Timofey couldn't tell the difference between the horse and the tiger- let's give him some grace here, guys. :D Think about it, he's only been a wolf for two hours, he hasn't had any practice yet. :) Yarik's had some practice, and he's more animal inclined anways. :D _

_So thanks for reading, please review and I'll see you two reviews later!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

* * *

_Chapter Nineteen_

We're in this Together

Timofey twisted himself around and landed on all fours on the other side of Queen Elinor, who was mounted on her grey horse. "Oye!" she cried as her horse Elise reared up in a panic. Skillfully the queen reined the horse in and brought her back to her feet.

"Mum!" Ilene and Merida cried, running forward. Elise was prancing and dancing as she squealed and kicked at the wolf, who dodged her kicks and ran a safe distance away.

"Girls! Wolf!" Elinor pointed wildly. "Get away!"

"Mum, it's alright!" Ilene explained as she reached Elise's side. "It's me Papa!"

Elinor did a hurried dismount and grabbed Elise's reins. "Whoa girl! Whoa!" she soothed, calming the giant grey Shire mare. She glanced at the wolf, who was panting.

"Sorry your majesty." He said hastily, bending down in a bow. "We thought you were Yarik."

"Timofey!" Elinor moaned, approaching the wolf. "What happened?"

Timofey sighed and looked down. "It's a long story."

* * *

Fergus was on his way back to the castle, noting that it would be dark soon. He wondered if Timofey had done what he'd set out to do yet, and decided to ride by the Ring of Stones on his way home. It was dangerous to ride through the woods with Yarik roaming around, but he was fully confident in his ability to fend himself against an attack by the monstrous tiger.

Suddenly he spied movement to his right, and he reined his horse Ryder in. Ryder snorted, then pricked his ears forward. _Something's over there. _Fergus thought to himself, peering through the trees. And whatever it was, it was big and dark brown. _A bear._

No matter where he was and no matter what the situation, Fergus could not resist a bear hunt. And today was no exception.

The bear king drew his sword and with a battle cry kicked Ryder into a full out gallop. "Aughhhhhhhhhhhh!" he shouted, weaving the draft horse through the trees and towards the object. He emerged into the clearing with the bear and reined Ryder in, fully ready to swing his sword and kill the black bear with one strike of his blade. "Aughhhh…" Fergus's cry trailed off as he stared at the animal before him. "Boys!?"

There sat his sons on their horse Laddie, and they were watching him with keen eyes.

"Boys! What are ye doin' out here?" Fergus demanded, holstering his sword and taking hold of Ryder's reins. "There's a tiger roaming around, waiting to pounce on anyone it meets!"

The triplets glanced at each other and giggled. The tiger didn't try to hurt _them_! They scared it off!

Fergus sighed and rolled his eyes, then narrowed them at his sons. "We'd best be gettin' back before yer Mum goes crazy with worry." He said sternly. "And if I were ye, I'd best be thinking of a place to hide when we get back. Yer Mum's going to kill ye when she sees yer alright."

* * *

"So," Elinor stammered, "Yer to stay a wolf, _forever_?"

Timofey nodded, slightly annoyed at having to explain this for the third time.

"Oh Timofey! I am so sorry!"

Timofey could tell Elinor meant it, and nodded. "What's done is done, as I keep telling the girls. Now we need to figure out how we're going to stop Yarik."

Elinor agreed. Timofey was huge for a wolf (he was the size of a twelve hand high pony) but he was still no match for Yarik, a seven foot tall tiger.

"Merida," Elinor said, turning to her redhead daughter. Merida cringed, knowing a scolding was in order. "How could ye run off like that and leave us? Isn't it enough that Ilene had to go? But ye too! Why do ye do this to me, time and time again?"

"I'm sorry Mum." Merida said sheepishly, avoiding Timofey's look. He hadn't considered the fact she wasn't supposed to _be _there. "I wanted to do something. I couldn't just sit in the castle awaiting for news, I had to get out there and see what I could do to help!"

"But then yer brothers saw ye leave and decided to leave, too!" Elinor cried. "Me husband was gone, me sons were gone and me daughters were gone! And there's a beast roaming the woods who killed over forty people this morning!"

"The boys are _gone_?" Ilene exclaimed.

"Aye. They must have saw Merida leave and decided they were going to help too."

Merida swallowed. "I'm sorry Mum. I-I had no idea they would leave." She croaked.

"I know Merida." Elinor sighed. "I know ye didn't. But why can't ye stay put when yer told?" Merida hung her head in shame, and Elinor decided to leave the subject alone. "Well, we'd best start hunting for the boys. Oh, I do hope they're alright."

"I'm sure they will be, your majesty." Timofey offered.

* * *

Yarik came to the Ring of Stones and sniffed at the snow. There were horse prints everywhere, and people tracks, too. They had been here only forty-five minutes before. That meant they hadn't gone far.

He glanced around at the tall stones. He didn't like this place at all. It was so eerie and nerve wracking. It warned of a million dangers and held a thousand secrets, and if there was one thing Yarik hated it was secrets. Danger he could handle, but secrets? He couldn't stand secrets.

Yarik sniffed around some more, and growled. There was that dog smell again. And there were its prints! The tiger studied the prints carefully, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. _This is not possible! _He thought. The prints were most certainly a dog's prints, but they were the size of a small horse's hoof. _That is one big dog. _It must be a wolf. The biggest wolf Yarik had ever seen were the timber wolves in Russia. He didn't know what kind of wolves the Scots had, but whatever they had was _huge_. And it was following _his _prey.

With a snarl Yarik turned and followed the prints, determined to catch up with this wolf and kill it. _This beast will not mess with _my _destiny! _

* * *

Fergus and the boys walked steadily along, their horses plodding through the thick snow. It was silent, as it usually was with the triplets.

Fergus often wondered why his sons seemed to not be able to use their tongues, then decided perhaps it was for the best. He already had one quick and witty tongued child, Merida, and Ilene could talk nonstop for hours on end. No, it was probably better his sons didn't talk, no doubt they'd come with all kinds of _very _interesting things to say.

Hamish, who was in the front and guiding Laddie, suddenly stopped the stallion and pointed.

"What is it my son?" Fergus asked, whoaing Ryder and glancing in the direction the redheaded boy was pointing. He didn't see anything.

Now Harris pointed in the same direction, waving his hand and gesturing towards something that was straight ahead.

Fergus looked again. Nothing. "I don't see anything." he stated bluntly.

Now Hubert joined in the gesturing and pointing, and they all stared at their father like he was an idiot.

"I don't see anything! I told ye that already!" Fergus exploding. "There is nothing th-" suddenly Fergus saw it. It was the biggest wolf he'd ever seen. It was completely white, its fur at least four inches thick. And it was as tall as a four foot pony!

The wolf watched them keenly, his ears pointed straight forward. Fergus couldn't stand it anymore, he _had _to have that wolf. "Kill it!" he screamed, charging forward on Ryder.

The wolf's eyes widened, and he turned around and fled the direction he'd come from, howling.

"Come on boys!" Fergus called behind him as he galloped after the wolf. "Don't let it get away!"

He needn't have urged them on- Laddie found a spark of youngness as he watched Ryder gallop away, and he threw himself forward and chased after the younger horse. The boys clung to the drought horse for dear life as they galloped after Ryder, Fergus directing Ryder over logs and around ditches in hot pursuit of the wolf.

* * *

Elinor, Merida and Ilene trotted along on their draft horses, no one saying a word. Ilene was pulling Rylee along on a lead line, the Thoroughbred throwing his head from side to side as he watched for 'scary' objects that may try to eat him. There was an eerie silence that hung over the group, and no one cared to break it. The sun had set nearly half an hour ago, and the moon lit the path ahead of them brightly, the snow glistening in its light.

Timofey had loped up ahead to see which route they should take, and had yet to return.

Elinor wondered how Ilene must have felt, knowing that the father she had only just discovered would never be a man again. _How terrible she must feel. After all these years she only really got to have him for three days before he became, well, this. _A wolf. She wondered how Fergus would react when they brought the wolf home with them, but shook it out of her head. Enough strange things had happened lately that she doubted he would question her sanity for bringing a wolf home. He would no doubt ask her what it was doing there, but he wouldn't try to kill it. Right?

Wrong, she soon found out, for whom but Timofey the wolf came flying around the corner, his tail tucked between his legs as he wailed pitifully.

And there was Fergus, galloping on Ryder with his sword in his hand, aiming to kill Timofey.

"Fergus!" Elinor cried, the same time as the girls shouted, "Dad!"

Fergus whoaed Ryder, barely able to avoid a collision with his wife's horse. "Elinor dear!" he exclaimed. "What are ye doing here?" Then he caught sight of the wolf, who'd stopped running and was panting. "Wolf!"

"No, Dad!" Ilene screeched, kicking Mystery in front of Ryder before Fergus even had a chance to gallop forward. "That's me Papa! That's _Timofey!_"

Fergus stopped and stared at the blond girl. "What?" he demanded.

"That's right Dad, that's Timofey!" Merida insisted.

Fergus turned to Elinor. "Elinor?"

Elinor nodded. "There tellin' the truth, dear." She told him.

Fergus turned to the wolf, who was watching him suspiciously. "Timofey?"

"It's me." He said.

"Ye talk!" Fergus shouted. "How can ye talk?"

"Same reason Yarik can. I've chosen who I am." Timofey said, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I see you found the princes."

Elinor whirled around and gasped. "Me sons!" she cried, dismounting off her horse and running towards the boys' horse. She pulled each one off and hugged them. "Oye, I thought I lost ye!" she murmured, kissing them each on the head. They giggled. "Don't ye ever do that to me again! When we get home yer going straight up to yer room!" she scolded. The boys hung their heads.

Fergus dismounted from his horse and sat down in the snow, shaking his head as he drank in the sight of the wolf before him. "Why a wolf?" he muttered, mainly to himself. "Ye were supposed to be a tiger! How can ye fight Yarik if yer only a wolf?"

Timofey looked away. "I don't know, your majesty. I don't know."

Elinor walked over to her husband and placed her hands on his shoulders. "We'll figure it out, Fergus. Don't worry."

Ilene glanced at Merida, then at Elinor. "It seems, Mum," she said at long last, "We're all here."

Elinor nodded. "Aye, Ilene. We're in this together. Every one of us."

"How charming." The DunBrochs and the two Petrovs whirled around towards this new voice, and the color drained from their faces. Timofey growled as the giant white tiger stepped forward, grinning like only a tiger can. "Now you can all die together."

* * *

_CLIFF HANGER! :D_

_See you two reviews later! :D Thanks for reading!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_


	20. The Battle

_Wow, posting another chapter in the same day! That's amazing! :D Thank you Synchronized Harmony and Ceikaiyia Cheeks for the reviews! I figured I'd post the next chapter tonight (thanks to you two) because I have to go pick up some hay for my horse tomorrow morning and then was invited to a basketball game that afternoon. :) Busy day tomorrow, but I promise that when I check my email and find two more reviews I'll post the next chapter! We're getting near the end here! :D  
_

_Thanks for reading, please review and thank you! :D  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter twenty_

The Battle

None of them knew for sure what happened, but in a flash of movement Mystery and Ilene attempted to take off and ran straight into Angus, causing Merida to fall onto her sister's horse. Like an arrow speeding to its target the two girls shot forward on the black Shire, Ilene dropping Rylee's rope as they galloped through the snow and rounded the bend, disappearing from sight. Yarik's tiger senses instantly set in, and with a roar he leapt forward and pursued the riders and horse.

Timofey threw himself around and howled, then chased after the white beast and the two girls.

"Merida! Ilene!" Elinor screamed. Fergus and her both ran to their horses and mounted up. They gathered their reins and waited for the triplets to mount up, and then kicked their horses forward, racing after the two princesses.

* * *

"Merida, hold on!" Ilene cried, reaching back with one of her hands to grab onto Merida's dress. Merida was on only half way, bouncing on the back of Mystery and near the point of toppling over. She grabbed Ilene's arm and pulled herself upright, then wrapped her arms around Ilene's waist as they charged through the snow.

Behind the girls Yarik bounded after them, his eyes dilated and his mouth open, his teeth gleaming in the moonlight like daggers aimed at its victims. His eyes showed pure hatred, and Merida could only look at them for two seconds before she turned back to the path ahead. "Hurry Ilene! He's gaining on us!" she screeched.

Ilene pushed Mystery faster, who was already going as fast as she could. The horse was terrified, her eyes wide with fear as she listened to the monster behind her, slowly but surely catching up to them.

Ilene guided Mystery up a steep hill, leaping over a log in the process. Merida nearly fell off, but clung to Ilene tightly and avoided the slip.

Merida turned to watch the white tiger leapt over the log with ease, and continue the chase. He was going to catch up to them, she knew it.

"Oh Ilene, please hurry!" Merida begged, tears coming to her eyes as the beast closed the gap between them.

Ilene was in tears, too. "I'm trying!" she cried. "I'm trying!"

She yanked Mystery around a bend and galloped straight ahead, hoping that the turn would slow Yarik down a bit. It didn't. Instead, he leapt straight over the rock and nearly onto them, but fell short by a foot. Mystery squealed and kicked at the tiger, managing to land her kick straight into his eye. The tiger bellowed in anger, stopping to scratch his eye. Then he jumped back into action.

Merida and Ilene weaved the draft horse through thickets of bushes and around trees, trying in every way to lose Yarik. They had to lose him! He was _going to kill them! _

They entered into a flat area, and there were no trees ahead. This was good news and bad news. It meant they'd be able to travel faster because they could see farther, but Yarik would be able to too.

Merida gazed at the landscape as it flew beneath her, a disturbing thought nagging in the back of her mind. Above the thundering of Mystery's hooves she could hear something. Something _very _familiar.

"Ilene! We have to turn back!" Merida shouted as they continued on at their breakneck speed.

"What! Why!?" Ilene yelled above Mystery's hoof beats.

"Ilene! We have to turn back _now_!" Merida said frantically. "We're at the top of Fire fa-"

Suddenly Mystery stopped dead in her tracks, sending Ilene and Mystery flying over her head first. They landed in the snow, dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. How could they have forgotten where they were? They were on top of the cliff that Fire Falls fell from! There was nowhere to hide!

Merida jumped up just in time to see a shadow falling on her. She leapt to the side as Yarik landed in the spot she'd just been, his claws outstretched and his teeth barred.

But it wasn't Merida he wanted.

Ilene tried to get up but was too late. With one scoop of his paw Yarik overturned her onto her back and shoved her into the ground. She screamed as he mercilessly dug his claws into her chest, the pain so great she nearly passed out.

"I have waited too long to do this!" he snarled. Tears streamed down Ilene's face as she stared up at the massive head of the tiger. "And now I shall finish what I vowed I would do!"

He opened his mouth and roared, and Ilene closed her eyes as he dove for her with his jaws.

But the chomp that should have killed her didn't come as Yarik was completely thrown off balance by a white wolf who threw his whole body against the beast, knocking him over.

Merida raced over to Ilene and helped her up, practically dragging her out of the way of the fight between the tiger and wolf. She set Ilene down and let herself drop beside her.

"Ilene, Ilene!" Merida sobbed, hugging Ilene tight. Ilene was choking and crying, her dress ripped in spots and blood running freely. Ilene hugged Merida back, and then they both watched in terror as Yarik and Timofey struck at each other, biting and ripping flesh from their opponent.

* * *

Yarik was furious. How _dare _this white wolf interfere with him and his prey! He jumped at the wolf, but the dog was ready for this and ran underneath his belly, biting his back leg. Yarik screamed and turned on the canine, swiping at him with his paw, claws extended. The wolf leapt back and then pounced at the tiger's head, chomping down on his ear.

With a roar that would frighten Mor'du himself Yarik tossed the wolf aside and slashed him with his claws.

The wolf howled, and backed up. Yarik hissed at the wolf, and the wolf snarled at him. And that's when he noticed his eyes. They were _not _the normal eyes of a wolf.

"Timofey!" he screamed, striking at the man turned wolf. Timofey dodged the blow and retaliated, trying to rip open Yarik's throat. The tiger fell back, barely missing the wolf's jaws as they snapped shut on empty air.

* * *

"You leave my daughter alone!" Timofey barked.

Yarik pounced onto the dog, knocking him onto his back. Timofey rolled out of the way as Yarik chomped the snow, his fangs dangerously close to hitting his target. "I'll kill her Timofey!" Yarik shouted as he lunged once more at his old adversary, teeth barred and ready to strike. "I'll eat her _alive!_"

"No!" Timofey sprang into the air and grabbed the back of Yarik's neck, pulling him down sideways. But the wolf's feet didn't touch ground like he'd expected. _Whoops._

* * *

Yarik roared as he tumbled off the edge of the cliff. He frantically tried to grab hold of the edge, but he was falling too fast. With one last roar he and Timofey plunged to their death below, Timofey still holding onto the scruff of the tiger's neck.

* * *

"Papa!" Ilene shrieked as both the wolf and tiger went over the edge of the cliff. "_NO! PAPA!_"

Ilene tore herself away from Merida, grasping her bleeding chest and racing towards the edge. "Papa!"

Ilene stared down the ledge, sobbing her heart out clutching her wounds. A fog was rolling in, and she couldn't see a thing. "Oh Papa! Oh Papa!"

He was gone.

Tears fell from Merida's eyes as she stood up and walked towards Ilene. Ilene had collapsed on the side of the ledge, shrieking and sobbing, repeating over and over again, "Papa! No, no, Papa!"

She reached Ilene and helped her sit up, grabbing her tightly and hugging her. Ilene clung to Merida like a child clings to its mother, sobbing all over her hair. There was blood all over the snow from Ilene's cuts, but the cold had caused the wounds to slow down the flow and scabs were forming.

Both girls held each other tightly, sobbing their hearts out. They were only vaguely aware of Elinor and Fergus's arrival, and did not acknowledged them until the queen and king knelt down beside them, hugging them both.

"He's gone! He's dead!" Ilene wailed, Elinor hugging the child tight. She knew no words could help ease the heartache and pain right now.

Fergus held Merida in a bear hug, rocking her back and forth. The triplets watched in silence from atop their horses, tears rolling down their cheeks.

The great beast was dead, but not without a heavy price.

* * *

_I doubt any words need to be said at this part. :'( _

_Thanks for reading and please review. *Author is sobbing*  
_

_-Shire  
_


	21. Until You Complete Your Deed'

_Yay! I'm back! I got a little time between hay and basketball, so I'm updating! Thank you Sha28, sleet12 and Ceikaika Cheeks for the reviews! So amazing! :D :D :D Oh, and thank you Sleet12 for favoriting and following the story, you're awesome! :D  
_

_Sleet12: uhmm, yeah, who knows. :D I know that tigers kill those little bears that live in the jungle, but I'm not sure if they could kill a Grizzly or something of that size. :D And for sure not Mor'du. :D  
_

_Anyways thanks for reading, please review and I'll post more soon! :D  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter Twenty-one_

'Until you complete your deed…'

Merida opened the door to Elinor's room, where Ilene was resting. Her sister was awake, she could tell that, but she debated on going in.

Ilene was staring up at the ceiling, her face emotionless. Yarik had broken two of her ribs when he'd slammed her into the ground, and she was not to go outside and play for another week or two. But this state she was in worried the DunBrochs more than anything.

She refused to eat, she said little, and she didn't cry. It was as if she'd cried so hard when it happened that she would never be able to cry again, and now she lay in a great depression. She was nearly skin and bones, and her face was pale. Nothing anyone did helped her, and she hardly slept.

Elinor was so worried that she herself hardly slept, trying to coax Ilene to eat something. "Please dear, for me." She begged. Ilene would try, but she never ate more than two spoonfuls of anything.

Merida had even heard Elinor talking with Fergus in the room they were staying in until Ilene got better. "Fergus, I'm afraid she's going to _die_!" Elinor had wailed.

Merida had started, and ran from the hallway. Ilene, _die_? After all they'd been through, after all those dangers and threats, Ilene would die _now_? No! She couldn't die! She couldn't!

And yet Merida was beginning to wonder if she would.

She was not the same person anymore. In three days a man who was her father had won her heart over and then fought bravely to save her. In three days he came to a violent end, being heroic. And in three days he had managed to change Ilene so much that now she wanted nothing more than him.

Merida suddenly became aware that Ilene was looking at her, and she slid inside guiltily, shutting the door behind her. "Hi, Ilene." She greeted softly. Ilene looked away.

Merida walked over to the edge of the bed and sat in the chair Elinor used to watch over Ilene at night. Ilene didn't say anything, only stared at the ceiling.

"Ilene," Merida began, then blurted out, "Oh Ilene! Ye can't die on me!"

Ilene snapped her head around and stared at Merida. "Die?" she repeated.

Merida nodded, her eyes swimming with tears. "Mum is afraid yer going to die!" she sobbed. "Ilene, ye can't die. I need yah. The boys need yah! Mum and Dad need yah! We all need yah. Please, _please_ don't die."

Ilene turned her gaze back at the ceiling. "I'm not going to die, Merida." She sighed.

"If ye don't eat ye will!"

"I can't eat."

Merida shook her head fiercely. "Ye can eat, Ilene. _Ye can_. Yet ye choose not to."

Ilene moaned and rolled over onto her side. "Why, Merida? Why?"

"Because eating will make ye feel better."

"No, not _that_. I mean, _why_? Why did it happen? Why Papa? And why did I have to be so angry with him!"

That got Merida's attention. "Ye, ye were angry with him?" she stuttered.

Ilene turned back to face Merida. "I was angry with him, Merida." She said quietly. "I was mad at him. There was more to that conversation the first day than I told ye. I wanted ye to think that I was happy and excited to have Papa back in my life, that he was alive." Ilene shook her head. "I was mad at him."

"Why?" Merida couldn't help but ask.

"He had been alive all that time! He never came to visit me, he never wrote to me, he never came for me. He left me to believe I was a DunBroch, and he never tried to change that. I felt like he didn't care what happened to me! He told me that he had done it for my protection, to keep Yarik from knowing about me, but I was still hurt. I needed him, I told him, I needed him in me life. Ye can't just _leave _yer child with someone else and then expect to walk into their life and say, 'here I am! Let's go home!' And yet that's _exactly _what he did. He told me he wanted me to go back to Russia with him. 'I can't go to Russia!' I cried. 'My home is here in Scotland, with me family. Ye left me here, and now ye expect me to pack my things and _leave _with ye?' he understood I was upset and hurt, and he left it at that. 'think about it. When this whole thing with Yarik is over I want ye to come back with me, Tonya.' He told me. 'I can't go to Russia.' I spat. 'please, think about it?' he begged. I finally gave in and said I would. I knew he'd done everything to keep me safe, but I felt like he'd left me hanging there. I mean, how would ye feel if ye found out ye were adopted, found out yer Papa had died years ago and then he comes back and it turns out he wanted ye to think he was dead? I was hurting badly, and I was mad. I told ye all the good things because I knew you'd correct me if I complained about how unfair he was being. So I pretended everything was great between us. But the truth was I was upset with him. And then when he announced he was going to go to the witch? My conscience pricked me so bad that I had to go with him. I had to give him a chance. There was a good possibility that he would get killed by Yarik, and so I needed to be with him. And I was right. He died! He's dead and he won't be coming back! I wish I could take back everything I thought and said, every bad thought and word. Oh Merida, how I must have hurt him. And now I will never get the chance to say I'm sorry. If-if he came back right now, I'd even go back to Russia with him!"

And then Ilene started crying. Merida watched her, relief flooding over her. So this was it. This was _why _Ilene wasn't getting better. She felt so guilty that she couldn't eat, she couldn't sleep, she couldn't cry, couldn't do _anything_. She was burden down with a guilt no person was created to carry, and she needed redemption.

"Ilene, Ilene." Merida soothed, stroking Ilene's golden blond hair. "Yer father love ye. He forgave ye."

"How do ye know?" Ilene sniffed. "I never got a chance to say sorry."

"Ilene, ye were right. When yer Papa was a wolf, he was a sheep in wolf's clothing. He was a good man, Ilene, a man who was willing to give himself up to save ye and all the rest of us. Of course he forgave ye. He understood the hurt he'd caused ye, and gave ye time to think it over. He loved ye dearly, Ilene. No doubt for the last twelve years he thought about ye every day, praying that someday he would be able to see ye again. A father like that would understand and forgive his daughter. He forgave ye Ilene, he forgave ye. Stop torturing yerself. Ye are sorry, yes, but don't let guilt kill ye. If yer father was here right now he would tell you, 'Ilene, I-"

"-Love you. And I forgive you."

Merida whirled her head around, and her heart stopped. Ilene stared at the doorway, her lower lip trembling. "Papa." She whispered. And then she fainted.

* * *

It was a joyous celebration that was held in honor of Timofey the next couple of days. People could not stop talking about it and discussing it.

"The man was a wolf, and fell right off the cliff with that horrid beast!" a man was explaining to his friend. "He should have died! But what they didn't realize was that the witch who gave him the spell had also said right before they left, 'Until you complete your deed, you shall stay as you decreed.' It meant that until the wolf killed the tiger, he would stay a wolf. And when he killed the tiger and they both fell to their deaths, he fell into the river below Fire Falls. And he _didn't die! _He survived! He swam to the shore, shocked that he'd lived. And when he reached the shore-"

"He discovered he was a man again." The friend finished.

"Hey! I was telling the story!"

The story circulated all around the DunBroch clan, and reached the ears of the clans Dingwall, Macintosh and MacGuffin. All four clans celebrated the death of the great white tiger, that murderous creature, and hailed the white wolf that killed it.

For four days the DunBrochs feasted, preparing the most delicious of all meals. There was several different types of meat, ranging from steak to venison. The deserts were to die for, and the side dishes mouth watering.

Timofey sat near King Fergus, a content and happy look on his face as he would reach over and squeeze his daughter's hand. Ilene's health blossomed greatly, and she found herself eating and celebrating along with the others. Merida and Elinor were overcome with joy that she was going to be alright, and everyone was happy.

But even among such a joyous time, Ilene found herself troubled. And until she talked with Elinor, she knew that her problem would not go away.

* * *

Elinor was sitting in her room sewing, Ilene having moved back into Merida's and her room. She was doing much better, praise God, and Elinor was happy for her adopted daughter.

A knock sounded at the door, and Elinor called, "Come in!"

The door opened and shut quietly, surprising Elinor. That couldn't be Fergus.

Elinor looked up, and there stood Ilene. "Ilene, what is it me child?" she asked, putting down her sewing and beckoning Ilene to come in.

"Mum, I need to speak with ye." Ilene stammered, walking over to Elinor and sitting on the bed.

"Of course dear. What is it?" Elinor asked.

Ilene looked away, a stray tear falling down her cheek. "I will miss this place." She muttered. Elinor's throat tightened. She knew this conversation would come sooner or later, and she had been preparing herself for it. Now that it was here, though, she was unprepared.

Ilene turned back towards Elinor, now both her eyes dripping tears. "Mum, Papa asked me to go back to Russia with him." She whispered. "He wants to go back to his homeland. I want to be with him, Mum. He is my Papa, I need to be there for him." Ilene stopped, her chest heaving as she began to sob. "Mum, I want be with Papa. But I want to stay here with ye and Dad. What do I do? I don't know Russia, I have never been there. They are my people, yes, but I am not theirs. I belong in Scotland among the Scots. These are me people, too. And ye and Dad are me Mum and Dad, but Papa is me Papa, too. And what about Merida? And Hamish, Harris and Hubert? How can I leave them? Oh Mum, I don't know what to do!"

Elinor steadied herself, forcing back the tears she wanted to shed. "Ilene, come here." She said softly. Ilene threw herself into Elinor's arms, crying into her dress. "Ilene, Ilene. Ye shall always be me daughter, even if I never bore ye in me womb." Elinor soothed, her eyes finally spilling over and her own tears streaking down her cheeks. "But I cannot make this decision for ye. Ye need to make it yerself."

"But I can't!" Ilene wailed. "I can't. I want both!"

Elinor stroked the young girl's hair, and began to rock her back and forth. "I love ye, Ilene. I want ye to stay with me forever. But I love ye so much that I want ye to be happy more than anything else. If ye think ye need to go back to Russia, than go. All I want is for ye to be happy. And wherever ye go, wherever ye stay, I will always be there in yer heart. _Always. _And ye know who else will be there for ye?"

Ilene looked up at Elinor, and Elinor brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "God will." She smiled, the tears continuing to fall. "God will always be with ye, Ilene. He will always watch over ye and keep ye safe. He loves ye, Ilene, more than even me. More than yer Papa, too. He loves ye and wants ye to be His child."

"And I want to be His, Mama. I want to be His." Ilene whispered.

"And ye are, Ilene. Ye are His child. So, whatever ye choose, to stay in Scotland or to go to Russia, remember that God is there with ye, and that He loves ye very much."

Ilene hugged Elinor tightly, Elinor hugged her back. Both mother and daughter sat there for half an hour, crying together. They both knew what Ilene would choose.

* * *

_What will Ilene choose? You shall see in the next chapter! :D_

_Thanks for reading and please review! Thank you!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_


	22. This Is My Home

_I'm back! This is last chapter, so I'll have more notes at the bottom. Thanks for reading and please review! :D  
-Shire from CollieandShire  
_

* * *

_Chapter Twenty-Two_

This Is My Home

Merida cleaned out the stall that had once belonged to Mystery. The triplets were moving Laddie into this stall, and were busy cleaning out his old one.

A tear fell from her eye, and she brushed it away. _No more crying, Merida. _She chided herself. It was impossible.

Merida found herself crying softly, brushing the wet tears from her face so she could see. She continued to work, trying her best to forget. But she couldn't. Ilene was gone. Her only sister was gone forever, leaving for a strange land to never return. And Merida couldn't go see her again.

Ilene had left yesterday morning with Timofey, and they'd taken Mystery and Rylee with them. She couldn't get out of her mind Ilene's sad face as she waved goodbye for a final time as they went around the bend and disappeared. Gone. Forever. _Forever and ever._

Merida heard hoof beats coming up the path, and presumed it was the boys bringing Laddie over. She quickly dried her eyes so they wouldn't see that she'd been crying, and turned to face them. A giant black horse stood in front of her instead of the chocolate brown Laddie.

"ILENE!" Merida screamed, bounding over the stall door with one leap and pulling Ilene right off of Mystery. The girls fell to the ground, Ilene laughing and crying at the same time. They hugged each other tightly, crying tears of joy as they sat in the snow.

"Ilene! Why-how-" Merida stammered, but Ilene held up her hand.

"Papa." She stated simply, a sad smile crossing her face. "Papa told me to go back. He said that it would be wrong for him to take me away from the only family I ever knew and the only home I've ever known to live in a country that I have never been to."

"But Ilene!" Merida gasped. "What if ye never see him again?"

Ilene bit her lower lip. "I told him that. He said that as soon as he completes his business in Russia, he will come back. And he will live in Scotland with me. Don't worry Merida, it won't be forever. He will be back in three years."

Merida stared into Ilene's eyes, and then hugged her again. "I'm glad ye came back to Scotland."

"How could I stay away, Merida? Scotland is me home. And here among me family is where _I _belong."

Together they got up and headed for the castle to share the good news with Fergus and Elinor, as well as Hamish, Harris and Hubert.

_Sister mine you'll always be,_

_Even on the stormy sea._

_And even though we can't always see,_

_The path that lies ahead of thee,_

_Sister mine you'll always be._

THE END

* * *

_I'd like to thank all of my wonderful readers and reviewers, you all really supported me!_

_Special thanks are in order to:  
_

_T.E.M. for always reading and encouraging me. :D  
_

_Synchronized Harmony for always reviewing and supporting me. :D  
_

_Sha28/Nie for being so faithful in always reviewing. :D  
_

_and Rylee, for being patient while I wrote this and posted it, and understanding when I was late to feed him. :D  
_

_Also, thanks are in order to:  
_

_Mom, Dad and all my nine siblings. :D  
_

_And thanks to all my reviewers!  
_

_Sha28/Nie, Synchronized Harmony, Guest, Friend, Ceikaiyia Cheeks and Sleet12.  
_

_And to all my readers who didn't review, thank you for reading anyways. :D  
_

_Okidoki! Well, before I go I have one more thing to wrap up. Is anyone interested in a third story? :D Because I have one planned and I have written twenty pages about it, but it's going to be a little different than the other two. :D  
_

_Here's the title and the Summary:  
_

_**First Come, First Serve**  
_

_**The DunBrochs have their hands full when a Russian Czar and a German King come visiting, bringing their children along with them. The biggest problem? Merida starts developing feelings for the Czar's son, when Ilene already liked him first.**  
_

_****So you'll have to let me know if you want me to write this or not. :D Tell you what, if I receive ten reviews saying yes, write this, I will write it and post it. :D  
_

_Until the next time, I bid you farewell and thanks again!  
_

_-Shire from CollieandShire  
_


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